How to Grow Leek

Leek Germination Information

How to Sow Leek:

• Best started indoors as transplanted leeks have more vigor and get a head start on their long growing season
• Sow indoors in late winter at a temperature of 68-70°
• Seeds can also be sown outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring
• In Zones 8 and warmer, seeds can be sown in the fall
• Indoors and out, sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds and expect germination in 10 days.

How to Grow Leek:
Transplanting: Transplant when the seedlings are about the girth of a pencil and as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring

Spacing: Thin or space 4 inches apart in rows spaced 12-18 inches apart

Soil: Site in fertile, deeply tilled, rich soil. Fertilize at planting time and again in mid-summer.

Lighting: Site in full sunlight

Additional Care:  Water regularly. To blanch them, mound soil around the base of the stems as they grow. Blanching makes them more tender and sweet

Appearance and Use:

This 24 inch tall plant is grown for its edible stem and the enlarged stem base. The flavor is reminiscent of onion, but its flavor is milder. The gray-green foliage is flat, long, and broadly strap shaped. After blanching the stems white, harvest when they are the desired size for the type. Harvesting could be as early as two months after sowing or as late as in the fall before the ground freezes. They are not frost tolerant, but may be left in the soil overwinter—provided protection is given—and dug as needed

About Leek:
Botanical name: Allium ampeloprasum
Pronunciation:  al’e-um am-pe’lo-pra-sum
Lifecycle:  Perennial
Origination: Liliaceae; native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia