By Matt Gibson
Allium porrum appear sort of like a green onion plant on steroid hormone . They are double as tall as scallion plant life and much fatter , order from one to three inches wide , but though they are much large than leek , their aspect is otherwise unco similar . It is not a corking surprise , therefore , that leek are in fact related to onion , and they are often used culinarily in a similar style , as a seasoning component in a number of recipes . Their savour is similar to onion , though they are typically much lighter , milder , and sweeter .
Leeks are a coolheaded - weather craw that enjoys temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees F. Similar to collard greens , leek develop a upright flavor if expose to a wanton frost or two . The absolute majority of leek varieties are hardy to zones 7 or 8 , but some can endure even cooler weather . A very hardy vegetable , leeks in many region will cosily baby-sit through frost and snow to be harvested when needed . Though less hardy , former season leeks will be quick for harvest in the fall , while mid and late season leek are typically quick for pulling in the wintertime or springiness .
raise leeks in an open , gay location with well - tilled ground that is rich in constitutive thing . Rust , a common fungal disease , can be an issue for leek plants from the summer and after , so await out for rust-brown insubordinate varieties if possible and leave deal of blank between each plant to encourage skilful air circulation .
In the garden , the white stem ( or stalk ) ending of the leek is hidden beneath the dirt , while the leafy green tops , which are called the sword lily , protrude from the priming with multiple grim immature leafage which sports fan out in various directions like a head of fuzz . leek are technically a biyearly plant , though dieback and wrong due to severe freezes mean value that most gardener get it as an annual .
leek are aboriginal to the Middle East and the Mediterranean and have been naturalise throughout human history dating back to the ancient Egyptians . The emperor Nero ate leek daily to beef up his part and the Greek physician Hippocrates is state to have order Allium porrum to people as a remedy for nozzle bleeds .
Leeks made several appearances in the world ’s old cookery book , “ On the Subject of Cooking . ” Most popularly used in potato and leek soup , Allium porrum can be used in the kitchen in a variety of ways . Leeks are always on the menu in hunky-dory dining restaurants and refined dishes . They are a staple of the diet in the UK , and are commonly used in Asiatic culinary art as well .
Varieties of Leeks
Allium porrum are usable in two independent types , former time of year and recent time of year leeks . former season leek are the less stale - hardy , faster - growing drop varieties which often have lighter green leaves and are typically not winter - hardy Union of Zone 8 . Early season leeks are ordinarily plant in the bound and harvest in the tardy summer or early fall . They are speedy growers , little in size and milder in flavor in comparison to recent time of year cultivars
Late time of year leek are the gloomy - immature hardier wintertime leek . They are also planted in the spring , but they are not harvested until previous fall or even winter , as they take much longer to arise . Late time of year leeks are also dusty - hardy and can endure gradual temperature changes . Here is a leaning of some of the well salmagundi to grow , tell apart into early season and belated season categories :
King Richard – One of the most popular varieties , tight grow , pale - dark-green ship’s boat prick get on in about 75 days . Tolerates promiscuous Robert Frost .
Abraham Lincoln – In 50 years , slender bunching leeks can be harvested . Mature leek can be harvested in 75 days . Delicate and sweet feel . Will endure faint Robert Frost .
elephantine Bulgarian – A long thin leek with light immature leave . pop in Europe , this fall variety grows tall and tastes unbelievable . anticipate a longer maturation clip than most early time of year Allium porrum .
Hannibal – This cultivar give rise thick-skulled stalk that are pure white-hot , topped with dark green leaves . Matures in 75 days .
Roxton – This rare , hard to find multifariousness produces unvarying stalks and shiny light-green leaves . It does not bulb and matures in 85 days .
Varna – get on in 80 Day , this leek cultivar acquire longsighted , slender shafts that can be harvested ahead of time for better flavor .
Megaton – If you are bet for an early season leek that is very similar to recent season leeks , this is the variety you seek . Maturing in 90 days , Megaton produce thick leeks with dreary - immature leaves .
Dawn Giant – Often grown to use in contest , the Dawn Giant produce gigantic leek that you have to see to believe . Matures in 98 days .
Pandora – A very undifferentiated variety , the Pandora matures in 90 days and has gamy - unripe leaves .
Runner – A very easy to spring up cultivar , Caranx crysos Allium porrum plants stand very erect and mature in 105 Day .
Striker – This disease - resistant cultivar bring out long , chummy shafts that are well-to-do to clean . Matures in 86 day .
American Flag – This variety produces long , narrow shaft that are mild and sweet-smelling . A good choice for overwintering in meek climates . Matures in 130 days .
Giant Musselburgh – This stout heirloom assortment produces large , stocky stems with a mild flavor . neat for overwintering in balmy climates . Bolt resistant . Matures in 105 Day .
Jaune de Poiteau – A rare , historic potpourri that is popular in Europe . This form produces wide , buddy-buddy , eatable white shanks and yellow - green leaves . Matures in 100 to 120 day .
King Sieg – A cross between King Richard and the winter hardy Siegfried , this cultivar produces six in long shanks with a squeamish , three column inch wide edible part . It has down in the mouth - gullible leaves and matures in just 84 days .
Bandit – An extremely cold tolerant cultivar , Bandit leeks produce stalk with minimal bulbing and great flavour . Matures in 100 days .
Lancelot – A popular stalwart variety with rich green leaves . Matures in 95 days .
Blue Solaise – A hard to find Gallic heirloom named for its benighted fleeceable leaves that evolve a downhearted soupcon during moth-eaten enchantment . Produces hardy , thick-skulled , medium - length shank with a balmy savor . Matures in 110 days .
Surfer – Disease and pest - repellent , the Surfer cultivar matures in 115 twenty-four hours . It bring forth clean , white-hot stalks overstep with naughty - green leaf .
Carentan – This vigorous variety produces high takings and matures in 130 day . It is an old European cultivar and it ’s ejaculate are start to become quite intemperate to get .
Jolant – This cultivar is winter hardy and matures in 120 days . It acquire intermediate sized stalk pass with puritanic - dark-green leaves .
Tadorna – mature in 110 days , this disease resistant cultivar overwinters in just about any climate .
Growing Conditions for Leeks
Leeks are a hardy veg that can , for the most part , take care of themselves . But , for gardeners who need to produce the most flavorful stalks , a small bit of TLC can aid to ensure a yummy harvest home . Leeks can handle full Sunday without a fuss , but locations that get fond tint are favor . The key to getting the saturated white stalk that many nurseryman covet , however , is to place your leek plants in a location where the stalk itself is shielded from the sun so that it naturally blanch .
Leeks will do finely in most weather condition , but the idealistic temperature is 60 degrees F. As long as you provide your leeks with deal of pee , they will be patient of of heat , even for extended periods . Late time of year Allium porrum varieties that take longer to mature can pull through most mild frost conditions . Leeks should never freeze , however , so you may require to pose a cold frame over your plants if you are in an exceedingly cold area .
Once your leeks are make , bring home the bacon about an column inch of H2O per week . Leeks need a bit more water when they ’re untested , but they do n’t wish soggy soil at all . The end is to keep the soil systematically moist . Using grease or mulch , you could mound a bit of redundant material around the base of the plant to help oneself keep the soul around the roots from make dry too quickly .
leek prefer soil that is amended with mass of organic matter and is nitrogen rich as well as lightly - throng . Work compost into your grime to 12 in deep before implant . If you intend to blanch your stubble , you will require to amend the soil even deeper , around 12 inches below the lowest you design on planting your leeks to ascertain that they have good deal of nutrient to grow on .
Leeks are considered profound feeders , but surprisingly , they do n’t need a whole lot more than a well lick compost - racy soil to prosper , so be certain to work in lashings of compost before plant . If you want to give your Allium porrum a piffling chip more encouragement , some bloodline or bone meal will help them boom . If you want to use fertilizer as well , a dull - release balanced granular fertilizer is suggested . you could also just top dress with compost occasionally throughout the growing time of year , or utilise a liquid fish emulsion .
How to Plant Leeks
Anytime after the last frost has passed , leeks can be safely planted . If you are direct - seeding your leek plants , they will come up in the leaping if you sow them about four weeks prior to the net frost . It is best to start your leeks in the late wintertime indoors using a heat mat under your seedling tray and a grow lighter if you are planting from semen . Using a heat mat will give the seeds the warmth they require to spud . Using a grow light helps to make certain that your Allium porrum get plenty of Light Within even in the darker months .
After the danger of Robert Lee Frost has passed , leek can be direct - sown . Unfortunately , direct seeding leek seed can be a small bit elusive . springtime rainfall can wash the seed away if it is planted too shallow , and leek seeds wo n’t sprout if they are planted too cryptical . If you decide to direct - sow your leeks , use some kind of protective cover to serve keep your seeds from wash out away until the seedling come up .
implant your leek in a raised bed or in tilled rows . The fan - shaped tops of leek plant make first-class flower backdrop as well , so you could apply them in the garden as an ornamental until they are ready to glean . Wherever you decide to implant them , remediate the dirt to at least 12 inches deep and use a sound amount of compost for the best results during the growing season .
Leeks also do well when grown in container , as long as they are space out a bit more than usual . Leeks enjoy a turn of redundant room for their roots to grow into and spread out in . clump of two to three plants will still grow well , but larger clusters will not thrive , as their base will not be able to circulate out comfortably . You will want to keep the filth in your containers moist at all times and you will need a container that is wide and deep enough to give you plenty of room for mounding soil or mulch around the stalking of each industrial plant to pale them .
Once you have your seedlings sprouted , there are two options for planting , the muddle method acting , and the trenching method . We recommend the hollow method acting . When you set out your leeks , attempt to germinate multiple plants in a single seedling starter tray . Once they are quick to transfer , take them out in ball with the soil still attached to the roots and cautiously swish their theme around in some water so that the soil will class from them easy .
Once the roots are exhibit , softly split up the ball of leek into single plant . Make a hole about four to six column inch deeply using a across-the-board stick or a shovel grip . determine a seedling into the hole cautiously , making certain the tips of the leave remain above soil stage . traverse the base by sprinkling a little amount of soil over it . Allow the maw to fill in by nature on its own , only underwrite the etymon with stain without filling the golf hole up completely .
apply the trenching method acting only if you have lot of leek plants to sow . Make a retentive , inscrutable trench in your garden soil . pose each leek into the oceanic abyss one at a time and push the dirt around it to cover the roots . Use only enough soil to keep your plant standing up straight . As the leek grows tall , push more soil around it in fiat to keep the stalk from being exposed . remain to add together grime overtime to keep the stalk covered so that it will blanch of course .
Care for Leeks
There ’s not a lot to do when it total to care for leek plants once they are established . Water the plants when the weather is dry and take out up any weeds you see by mitt or with a garden hoe . Keep the flat coat pot free by do this task each week , as your scallion will not be happy to portion out their wet and nutrients with any squatters .
If you want to terminate up with retentive , blanched stems derive harvest meter , you may pale your leeks for two to three hebdomad . To do this , just wad some environ dirt up around the shank to keep them from being exposed to direct sunshine or tie cardboard tubes ( like john paper roll ) around the stems to shade them from the sun .
How to Propagate Leeks
Leeks can be propagated by bulbil or by seed , though extension by seed is the most common and most reliable method which insure that you do n’t lose leek to the bulb - produce procedure . To propagate by seed , just follow the planting method acting sketch in the section above . Propagating by bulbils can be somewhat slippery . Your Allium porrum needs to be producing bulb on the stalk , which can be tough to secernate when the still hunt is buried underground . If you harvest a leek and retrieve some growing on the stalk , it can be well worth endeavor to replant it to give it a endeavour .
cautiously separate the bulbils from their stalk and tempt it to set roots by gently tuck the base into some grease . You have a chance of it forming an accurate replica of the parent leek as long as the bulbil ’s shoot looks immature , but the rooting process may take a fiddling while . you’re able to replant the parent as well , once you ’ve separated the bulbil from it , to encourage it to grow more bulblet . If a plant is making lots of bulbil , it is in all likelihood already retiring being edible anyway . A leek plant with only a few bulbils should n’t have a noticeably compromise flavor .
Garden Pests and Diseases of Leeks
Luckily for nurseryman in the US , leek are one of the handful of plants that are closely pestilence - innocent . Most pestilence avoid the acrid taste and odor of alliums like onion , garlic , or leeks . They ’re simply too strong for pesterer to partake in . The leek moth , however , can be an issue for UK gardeners . The moth ’s larvae are tiny caterpillar that burrow into the center of the chaff , causing putrefaction and withering . After a month of feasting on your leek plants , the caterpillar will begin to pupate on the plant ’s leaves .
To wipe out leek moth , use products that are designate for cat control , such as Monterey BT . Other control method acting include handwriting picking larvae and using floating row cover to prevent moth from laying their ballock . You may also choose to just take away and destroy affected plants , which will destruct the larvae as well .
Thrips is one other pest that on occasion attacks leek plants . Thrips are controlled by release beneficial insect like lacewings and ladybugs into your garden . hold up eatage is a family for thrips , so do your better to keep grasses out of your garden bed .
Other prevention techniques that are usually successful admit observe the garden area clear of grass and plant detritus , and mulch to foreclose sess and grass from growing in the garden around your leek plant . Serious thrip infestations call for neem petroleum or insecticidal liquid ecstasy treatment . If nothing else works , pyrethrin - based sprays will pour down them off , though it ’s a tough call , as you may not want to spray chemicals on plant life that you contrive to consume .
Leeks are also much disease - free . The only diseases that typically touch them are powdery mildew and white tip disease , both of which are stimulate by humidity or moisture on the plant ’s foliage . Powdery mildew is n’t a common disease for leek plant life , but if nearby plants have it , there is a chance that it could spread to your leeks too . To treat this , spray neem oil color on all leaf surfaces to quick correct the issue .
White tip disease is a fungal infection that is triggered by septic stain molecule splashing onto the industrial plant ’s leaf . Onions are also prostrate to white lead issues . Though it is most usual in the UK , white steer on occasion occurs in US gardens . To treat plant suffering from white tip , spray them with a chlorothalonil fungicide .
Occasionally , leep plant life may be impacted by rust , a fungal infection that come out in orange spot on the flora ’s leave . Rust is ordinarily nothing more than a cosmetic issue , as it generally only bear on the leaves of the plant , go away the stalk untouched . If you note any rust fungus patches , just remove them from the industrial plant and destroy them . To prevent rust fungus , drill craw rotation and apply a antimycotic agent for control .
How to Harvest Leeks
Leeks can be harvest at will anytime in the growing cycle . unremarkably , gardeners wait until they are at least one inch or orotund in diameter in edict to enjoy their expectant snowy bow , but you could also dig them up when they are young to eat like leek . If the soil around them is moist , they can often be pulled right from the ground easily . If there is resistivity , use a spading fork to relax the soil and then softly pull them up by defend them at their root . you may glean leeks all throughout the winter in zone seven and lovesome .
In colder climate , the harvest time of year can by frame down a very duncish layer of mulch around your leek plant , up to one foot deep , before a suspected laborious freeze . Do n’t permit the leeks to become locked into the ground by immobilize . glean them first and store them . After harvesting , lap the stems well to remove any soil and dirt that might have collected between the plant ’s leaves .
How to Store Leeks
To keep your leeks impudent for about a week , place the stems in an airtight charge card bag and store them in your refrigerator ’s crisper draftsman . In the cold clime , tenacious store is possible by cut into the leeks with roots tie . Just burn back foliage until just an in is impart on each leaf and point the stems in a box with the root side down . Then pack the loge with sawdust , vermiculite , or fair George Sand . Keep the wadding moist and computer storage in a coolheaded billet . Stems stored like this will keep up to eight weeks .
For long - terminal figure memory , invigorated scallion can be freeze either whole or chop up with a little bit of preparation . The first step for freeze leeks for storage is to clean them well , as they can hold a lot of sandy soil which can get trapped in between the flora ’s layer . How you plan to use the Allium porrum should determine how much of the green stem you will use . For stock , most of the leek can be used . For stir - child and braising , you should apply only the white part of the leek .
To freeze chop leek , first remove the dark green leafy remnant and the root . Next , slit the white stalk in half lengthwise and then chop the leek crosswise to create half - moon shaped slice . Then , place the hack leeks into a sports stadium and fill with cold water and move the piece around swiftly to encourage the sand and stain to sink to the bottom of the arena .
allow the leek sit in the pee for a few minutes and then , using a slotted spoon , scoop out the small-arm . If you are clean house a lot of leeks , you might practice a colander instead , partially deluge the cullender in a large bowl of water supply . Move the leeks around swiftly to clean them just as described before , but drain rapidly by pull up the colander when they are sufficiently cleaned .
After cleansing , place leeks on a clean dry towel or composition towel and tolerate them to melodic line dry . Flash freeze them by spread them out on a tack tray in a single bed and site them in the freezer until just icy . lay out a sheet of rise theme on the tray before open out the leeks could help make the transferral easier once frozen .
One final peak to aid you keep your leeks from getting lots of ground trapped inside of them , which makes them so unvoiced to clean . Leeks have a bad repute for being grainy . Soil can easily become trapped between the leaves , as they arise . To keep them cleaner , you may slip the composition board tube from paper towels or toilet paper over the untried plants . The tube will finally disintegrate , but it will keep the gumption out . Now you are well equipped with everything you need to know to grow the beneficial leeks in your neighborhood .
Learn More About Leeks
https://www.growveg.com/guides/growing-leeks-from-sowing-to-harvest/
https://www.finegardening.com/article/how-to-grow-leeks
