Farm Friday, August 30th, 2024
Farm mystery: what is killing our leeks?
What I like about farming is that every season is different and every day is different. Farming is a multi-variable challenge problem where the importance of each of the variables changes on a daily basis. Farming has the potential for excessive abundance and ridiculous failure — sometimes in the same week. It is a gamble, but it also takes science and art and experience and social connections. A farming season is a marathon, not a sprint, and you have to pace yourself and know when to let go.
This week I noticed that the leek patch has gone from bad to worse. We have never before had a problem with pests or disease with leeks. But this year about a month ago we noticed an occasional yellowing plant that stood out in the middle of the blueish-green row. Alarming, but maybe one in a hundred. So, not the end of the world.
A couple weeks ago when we harvested the onions, I saw that the yellowing had spread to more leeks, maybe 20%. I made a mental note to ask my farmer friends if they knew what was up. But my life is busy. The school year is gearing up. My dad turned 80. I forgot to ask anyone.
Then on Tuesday a farmer friend stopped by to drop off some supplies. He is retiring from the business and selling off gear. I asked him to look at the leeks and he said they are having the same problem on their farm. He’d never seen it before.
So now I sent a photo to a Facebook group for vegetable farmers and have a number of unhelpful responses and a few people who know their leeks. I’m hoping for a diagnosis.
The leeks look like they will be a total loss if we don’t try to pull what is left. It is a month early but, oh well. There were 1000 plants in the row and if they had all stayed healthy it might have been $1000 in sales and many delicious soups. Oh well.
All photos by the author.
