Leeks about to flower.

Unless it's the unseasonal warm weather that's the culprit, I'm at a loss as to why some of my flaming Leeks have produced flower stalks. Last season I grew Leeks having sown seed at about the same time as this season's ones which are misbehaving! I left the majority of last seasons Leeks in situ until well into Winter and enjoyed them throughout winter and into Spring. None of the Leeks flowered even the last few which weren't pulled until about hallway through April. These were the same variety (Musselburgh) as this season's which are producing flower stalks. I've removed the stalks but presume the leeks will not be of much use?
Seems very strange and annoying. Any ideas as to why if it isn't the mild Autumn?

 

Hi @silu
Non of mine have started to grow flower stalks yet this year but I have had it in previous years. I have just removed the flower stalks from the base and tried to use these leeks first. They have tasted every bit as good as the leeks that did not produce stalks.
I have grown Musselburgh in the past but have used Giant Winter for the last few years and usually harvest from November through to late February.

 

Well mine aren't flowering.

Tend to think it might have more to do with a cold spell a couple of months ago perhaps???

Or maybe summer drought??????

 

Thanks @lykewakewalker and @pete . Glad to hear that the Leeks won't taste too awful. I'll lift some this weekend. Very much doubt the reason for them flowering is summer drought. Had dreadful summer for the most part but did have an incredibly dry September and October so that just might have caused the problem. Glad all is not lost and thanks for your replies.

 

hope to see a pic of the flower. guess never thought about them doing that, but sure, guess they would .

 

That's what I used to do too when I used to grow leeks and I agree, they tasted just as good.

 

I left my leeks in after they produced flowering stems and this is the flower.



Bees love them as u can see in the pic

 

Figured they would look like an Allium type. beautiful
Hey, how about using the flower to mix in with a salad, that would be pretty.

 

OMG, I did not know they flowered!!!!

!I still have mine growing in pots, will anxiously wait.

This is too cool

 

just saw a clip on TV last night of growing onions. The flower is the same type. Evidently there is the female plant and the male plant (or flowers) and they rely on the bees to hop between them to pollenate. The growers even have the bee hives lined up near the fields of onions. So then, they say after two years the onion seeds are formed in the flower and then they can harvest the flower and get the seeds and then sell the seeds to the growers.

 

I left some of my leeks that weren't badly affected by rust in the ground, looked at them today and saw about a third of them had flower spikes, so pulled them all.

 

See I'm not the only 1 with a unwelcome floral display in the veg patch! I was chatting to a professional gardener last week and he said there were loads and loads of people in the same situation. He put it down to the warm Autumn but wasn't 100% certain.

 

Some of mine have started 'flowering' too. Thanks for this thread - at least I know I'm not alone!