Allium ampeloprasum -the ancient wild leek -
More commonly known here , as the Cornish Leek .
Found growing around ancient settlements , Cornish Hedges and meadows . Pops up where ever it pleases . Here it is in my garden !
It propagates itself by the whole stalk collapsing down under the weight of the bulbils / tiny baby onions which form at the top of a very long stalk . About four foot tall / 1m or thereabouts . This one is taller than me , I'm 5ft 2" .
So down they fall to the ground , some distance from the mother plant , where they all then take root . π§
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Today I'm busy propagating Cornish Leeks and Egyptian Onions .
Cornish Leeks - Allium ampeloprasum var . babingtonii - so much easier to call them Cornish or Wild Leeks .....and they do grow in other parts of the U.K too .
Not rare , but sometimes hard to find .
Today I have harvested mine ....also my Egyptian Walking Onions , which are a similar thing . A perennial onion , a useful thing to have in a spare corner of the vegetable garden . It is good to have some perennial vegetables , just in case .
Not as good as modern varieties , but edible and we really shouldn't let them die out .
So off to the shed we go !
I grow them because they fascinate me .
At this time of the year the bulbils are just about ready and easy to simply pop away from the tops .
I make up a few labels . Pencil is the best thing to use . It lasts .
Cornish Leeks- Wild Leeks - Allium ampeloprasum var. babingtonii
Look at this ! Some of the bulbils have tiny shoots already !
I pop in one or two per cell ......
......and cover very lightly with a mixture of compost and perlite .
I'm not going to water these for a couple of days , just incase I have damaged them as I pulled them apart . Very important not to damage the base plate , where the new roots come from . I just need to be sure they have calloused over so they don't rot .
Right I have to get back to it ! Cheerio for now !
The Sun is shining ! ☀️
Peace and Love πDebbie x