In article ,
David in Normandy wrote:
On 02/07/2010 12:23, bob wrote:
this is our first attempt at growing leeks and they are now about 1ft
tall and they have what looks like a bud on the top,should we remove
this or leave well alone,many thanks

If you've got a bud on the top it means the leek is running to
flower/seed. In other words it will become useless for eating - they put
a hard flower stem up the middle of the leek which is almost inedible.
Leeks tend to do this if they haven't had adequate watering. To get nice
fat leeks that don't run to seed keep them well watered. Maybe too late
now though, once they start running to flower breaking off the flower
bud seems to make little difference.

Dig them up NOW and see if they have started to go woody; they may
still be OK, but won't be for long. The woodiness doesn't start
until after the flower stalk has developed, and they are perfectly
good until they do go woody. It's very obvious when you slice them.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.