Wenesday / Garden Leeks; Plant Different Varieties for Year-Round Harvest

Leeks, allium ampeloprasum, looks like an over grown scallion and tastes like a very mild onion. Leeks are a vegetable related to onions, garlic, chives and scallions. Leeks turn plain potato soup into the French leek and potato soup vichyssoise. Leeks may be started from seeds or later in the growing season from seedlings. Sow 4 seeds per inch, 1/4 inch deep in very fertile soil. When planting seedlings plant 6 inches apart in rows that are 24 inches apart. To produce the long white stems plant seedlings in trenches or furrows. As they grow fill in around the stalks with soil, mounding the soil as the leek matures. Leeks are heavy feeders so water with a 50% solution of 20-20-20 or 10-10-10 fertilizer when planting, and then side dress with 10-10-10 fertilizer again half way through the season. Water weekly but avoid watering too much as too much water will promote fungal disease. Dig mature leeks as needed. When cold temperatures approach cover the leeks with a thick layer of mulch. Many varieties of leeks are frost resistant and withstand temperatures down to the 20's.

Bakers Seeds in Mansfield, MO www.rareseeds.com , offers a variety of leek from Western Europe called ' Autumn Giant ' that does well over mild winters and survives until December in colder climates. Bakers also offers heirloom varieties of leeks dating back to the 1800's including ; 'Carentan' , a large 2 inch thick fast growing variety, 'Giant Musselbury' , from Scotland, and 'Blue of Solaise' , a very cold hardy French variety rarely seen in this country. Johnny's Select Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com , offers a variety of finger bunching leeks. The variety 'Lincoln', are sown and harvested like scallions. Swo two or three successive plantings in season to have leeks all through the summer. We love leeks 'Around Our Southern Home and Garden'.