{"id":1145,"date":"2019-09-01T04:49:41","date_gmt":"2019-09-01T04:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?page_id=1145"},"modified":"2019-10-07T02:18:30","modified_gmt":"2019-10-07T02:18:30","slug":"leek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/01\/leek\/","title":{"rendered":"Leek"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Allium<\/em> <\/em>porrum<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: This non-bulbing relative of the onion is native to Eurasia and\nwas first cultivated somewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean. It has been a food\nof the common people since the ancient Egyptians and still is in many parts of\nEurope. This is in stark contrast to the United States, where leeks are often\nconsidered a luxury food, with prices to match its elevated status. When you\nstart growing your own leeks you soon come to understand why they are so\nimportant in French cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing<\/strong>: The leek is a satisfying crop to grow and much more\nstraightforward than the onion. It is a biennial so you don\u2019t usually have to\nworry about premature bolting and it doesn\u2019t produce a bulb so you don\u2019t need\nto think about day length and its effect on bulbing. It is also very hardy and\nwinter leeks can simply be left in the ground until needed for the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop value<\/strong>: The leek is not only one of the hardiest of common crops, but\nalso one of the most useful and it was once very important for Northern\nEuropean peasants. It would supply food right through the winter and still be\ngood in early spring, when little else is available. Its sweet and delicate\nonion flavor was widely used to flavor more bland staple foods. Of course it is\nequally useful today and should be considered one of the garden staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: Leeks prefer cool (50 – 70\u00b0F), moist growing conditions, but\nalso do well in warmer climates if well supplied with water. Many types are\nvery cold tolerant (down to 20\u00b0F) and are often one of the last plants standing\nin a frozen garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks will grow quite happily in warm weather (above 75\u00b0F, but\nwon\u2019t taste as good as in cooler temperatures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About Leek<\/strong>  

Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 40 (60 – 75) 95\u00b0F
Germination time: 14 – 21 days
30 days \/ 41\u00b0F
13 days \/ 50\u00b0F
7 days \/ 59\u00b0F
5 days \/ 68\u00b0F * Optimum
4 days \/ 77\u00b0F
4 days \/ 86\u00b0F
Germination percentage: 75%+
Viability: 1 – 5 years
Wks to grow transplants: 10 – 12  

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: Hardy
Growing temp: 45 (55 – 75) 85\u00b0F
Plants per person: 30 – 50
Plants per sq ft: 9  

Planting<\/strong>:
Start: 10 – 12 wks before last frost date
Plant out: On last frost date
Direct sow 4 wks before last frost date
Sow fall crop 12 – 16 weeks before first frost  

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Days to harvest: 110 – 200 days from seed
75 – 100 days from transplants
Yield per plant: 8 oz per plant
Yield per sq ft: 2 – 9 lb sq ft  
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Leeks are a good source of vitamins A, C, K and several B\u2019s, as\nwell as potassium, iron and some beneficial phytonutrients. They are\nalso relatively high in calories, with around 270 per pound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 6.0 – 7.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks need a deep, rich, fairly neutral soil. They don\u2019t mind\nheavy soil, but it should be well-drained, because the plants will often remain\nin the ground through much of the winter and are susceptible to rot in wet\nsoil.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Leeks need rich soil to grow well. A common practice is to plant\nleeks in soil that was heavily amended and cultivated for a previous crop, such\nas potatoes. If it is low in organic matter, or particularly heavy, incorporate\n3 – 4\u02dd of compost or aged manure into the top 12\u02dd of soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks do very well in deeply cultivated intensive beds. If your soil is compacted, you might want to consider double\ndigging because (remember) leeks like loose loam. They also like potassium and\nphosphorus, so add colloidal phosphate and greensand or wood ashes (or an\norganic fertilizer mix). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your soil is poor, you might grow them in trenches, enriched\nwith aged manure or compost. This is how they get those prize nine pound leeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks can be planted fairly early in the spring, so gardeners\noften prepare the growing bed the previous fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: Leeks need full sun, especially if growing in winter. For best\ngrowth they should also be sheltered from cold winter winds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks take quite a long time to grow and will be in the ground for\nmost of the growing season, so put them where they won\u2019t be in the way.\nFortunately they don\u2019t take up much space and are good for intercropping, as\ntheir foliage is relatively sparse for much of their early growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring<\/strong>: Leeks are very hardy and prefer a long cool (not much above\n70\u00b0F) growing season, so they are one of the first spring vegetables to be\nstarted indoors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leek seedlings grow quite slowly, so they are usually started\nindoors, about three months before they are planted out (sometimes as early as\nDecember or January). The earlier you start them, the larger they will get.\nUnlike many crops they don\u2019t get over-mature quickly, they just get bigger. The\nseedlings are transplanted outdoors on the last frost date (after being\nhardened off.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks can also be direct sown, about a month before the expected\nlast frost, or as soon as the soil can be worked. The protection of cloches or\npoly tunnels will speed up growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people start leeks both indoors and outdoors. The transplants\nare for eating over the summer, while the direct sown ones are for using the\nfollowing winter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall<\/strong>: In areas with mild winters, leeks are best grown as an\nover-wintering crop. They are started in early summer (indoors or out) and can\nbe harvested as needed through the winter. Any plants that are left by spring\nwill put on a burst of growth and then bolt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting inside<\/strong>: Leeks transplant easily so are usually started in flats. They\ndon\u2019t have much foliage so can be planted quite close together and you can get\na lot of plants in one flat. The seeds germinate and grow slowly, so start them\nearly, water regularly, feed occasionally and be patient. They should be ready to\nplant out in 8 – 12 weeks when they are about 8\u02dd tall and about \u215b\u02dd in diameter.\nSome people advise trimming the tops and roots, to make planting easier (they\ncan get quite long and easily fold up in the planting hole).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardening off<\/strong>: If spring transplants are to go outside while it is still cold,\nthey should be hardened off first. You do this by putting the plants outside\nfor 2 hours on the first day, then 4 hours on the second day. Add 2 hours every day for a week and then plant out.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simpler alternative\nis to put them in a cold frame, which is opened for longer periods each day and\nclosed at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting out<\/strong>: There is no point transplanting the seedlings outside before the\nsoil has warmed up, they will grow faster inside. Wait until a month after the last frost date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my opinion the only way to plant leek seedlings is with a\ndibber. In fact a desire to plant a lot of leeks is a sufficient reason to get\na dibber (or make one out of a broken spade, shovel handle or piece of stick).\nMark out the required 4 – 6\u02dd hole depth (depending on size of plants) on the\nside of the dibber, so you know how deep to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To plant you simply punch a series of holes in the soil and drop a\nplant into each hole. When you have planted a good sized section you water them\nall with a trickle of water. There is no need to fill the hole, enough soil\nwill wash down into the bottom to cover the roots. It couldn\u2019t be easier or quicker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also transplant the seedlings into a 6 – 8\u02dd deep trench,\nPlant with a dibber as described above and when the plants are growing well\ngradually fill the trench with soil. This blanches the stems and provides a\ngreater length of the desirable white stem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks can also be planted in a row on level ground. They are then\nhilled up as they grow, to blanch the lower stems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting outside<\/strong>: Fall leeks are often started outdoors in a nursery bed and then\nlater transplanted to a permanent site. This is much more space efficient than\ndirect sowing and the seedlings are more easily protected from pests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: Summer leeks can be direct sown in early spring at a depth of \u00bc\n– \u00bd\u02dd. Space the seed \u00bd\u02dd apart and gradually harvest thin to the desired spacing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a couple of problems with direct sowing into the beds.\nOne is that it wastes bed space because they are so slow growing. Another is\nthat you have to find another way to blanch the stems. To do this you either\nhave to sow the seed into a trench as described above, or you earth them up\nwith soil (see Blanching<\/strong> below for\nmore on this).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beds<\/strong>: Leeks are usually planted in offset rows across the bed. The\nspacing ranges from 3 – 6\u02dd depending upon the fertility of the soil (to get the\nhighest yield of large plants space them 6\u02dd apart). You might want to use a\nwider spacing, so you can get a hoe between them for weeding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rows<\/strong>: When you plant in rows it is easier to earth them up. Space the\nplants 2 – 6\u02dd apart in the row, with 12 – 24\u02dd between the rows. If you use the\ncloser spacing align the plants so the leaves point perpendicular to the row (leek leaves\nalways emerge opposite each other).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks need looking after carefully, because they grow slowly and\ndon\u2019t have a lot of foliage (a newly planted leek bed actually looks pretty\npathetic). They should always have an abundance of available nutrients and water for best growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeds<\/strong>: The lack of foliage makes young leeks vulnerable to competition\nfrom weeds. It is especially important to keep them well weeded when they are\nyoung and spindly, as they don\u2019t shade the soil very well (or compete with\nweeds). They are quite shallow rooted, so be careful when weeding with a hoe (it\u2019s safer to hand weed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: Leeks grow best in moist soil, so make sure they have a constant\nsupply of water. Water them deeply once or twice a week. Don\u2019t over water\nthough, as this can encourage\ndisease problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilization<\/strong>: Leeks are often in the soil when it\u2019s cold and nutrients aren\u2019t\nreadily available. It helps to give them a feed of compost tea or liquid kelp,\nas soon as they are well established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the soil isn\u2019t very fertile you should feed them every 4 weeks\nuntil late summer and then stop (later feeding can make them more susceptible\nto cold damage).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: Mulch is very beneficial for leeks. Their lack of foliage means\nthat the soil is prone to drying out in sunny weather and a mulch shades the\nsoil and helps it to retain moisture. It also helps to keep down weeds and is a\nsource of nutrients\nfor the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In areas where winter temperatures drop well below freezing you\nshould protect the plants with a deep mulch. It not only protects the plants\nfrom cold, but also stabilizes the soil temperature. This prevents frost\nheaving, which can damage the roots. It\u2019s best to apply this in fall while the\nsoil is still warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanching<\/strong>: Leeks are often blanched (deprived of light) to get a longer\narea of white stem, as this is considered superior to the green part. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanching is usually done with soil, either by earthing up the\nstems, or filling up the trench they are growing in. Some gardeners wrap\ncorrugated cardboard collars around the plants before blanching, to prevent\nsoil getting lodged between the leaves (no one likes gritty leeks). You can\nalso blanch the stems with a deep mulch, which has the advantage of not being gritty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: Theoretically leeks are susceptible to the same problems that\nafflict the related onions, but generally they are quite pest free. They are\noccasionally bothered by onion maggots or thrips (see Onions<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diseases<\/strong>: Leeks may be affected by the same diseases as onions, including\nbotrytis, purple blotch, white rot and downy mildew. Most of the time they tend to be remarkably\nhealthy though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Leeks can be harvested as soon as there is enough to be worth\neating. If you plant more thickly to start with, you can harvest thin to the\ndesired spacing, without eating into your leek harvest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main harvest comes when the stems are \u00be – 1\u02dd in diameter,\nthough their flavor and texture generally stays good even when they get bigger\nthan this. Leeks only really deteriorate when they start to bolt, as they\ndevelop a woody inedible\ncore. If you really want to use bolting leeks remove this before cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: In loose soil you can sometimes harvest leeks by simply pulling\nthem out of the ground. If the tops break off before they come free, you will\nhave to loosen them with\na garden fork first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are harvesting leeks before they reach full size, you\nshould harvest alternate plants, as this gives the remaining plants more room\nto grow. Just be sure you don\u2019t disturb their roots. Alternatively you could\ntake the largest plants first, leaving the others to size up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: Leeks are so hardy they are usually stored in the ground and\nharvested as needed (cover with mulch in cold climates). The outer skin may\nturn somewhat slimy in very cold weather, but the interior will be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can store leeks for several weeks in a\nplastic bag in the fridge. In very cold climates you can store them in a root\ncellar at 32 – 40\u00b0F. Trim off the excess tops and roots and plant them in a box\nof damp sand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: It\u2019s easy to save leek seed, simply leave the best plants in the\nground instead of eating them. Save the seed from at least 12 plants to ensure\nenough genetic variation. Leeks are biennial and will produce their spectacular\nflowers in spring (and ripe seed in early summer).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks are cross-pollinated by insects, so you don\u2019t want any other\nvarieties flowering within a mile. In most cases this isn\u2019t likely as few\npeople allow their leeks to flower, If it is possible then you could cage the\nplants.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may want to dig the seed-leeks from their bed while they are\ndormant and move them to a more convenient location. This frees up the bed they\nwere growing in for\nanother crop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multi-planting<\/strong>: You can plant leeks in clusters, rather than as single plants,\nsimply plant 4 or 6 seeds together. This is usually done in soil blocks, but\ncould also work in flats or cell packs. These clusters must be spaced further\napart than single plants to give their roots more room and prevent crowding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamental<\/strong>: Leek flowers look a lot like ornamental Alliums and aren\u2019t out\nof place in the ornamental garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vegetative propagation<\/strong>: After leeks flower they produce offsets at the base of the stem,\nwhich will grow into new plants. These are known as leek pearls and can be used\nfor propagation or eaten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competitive gardening<\/strong>: In parts of Britain the cultivation of the biggest and most\nperfect leek is a very competitive activity. It results in monster leeks\nweighing 9 lb or more. I find it amazing how humans can turn even the most unlikely activity into a competition!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perennial<\/strong>: Leeks can\nbe treated like perennials, as they propagate themselves vegetatively by means <\/p>\n\n\n\n

of offsets. They can also self-sow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a perennial leek (the Babbington leek), which\nproduces bulblets on the flower head instead of flowers. These can be used for propagation too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These differ in their hardiness, time to harvest, color and size\nof stem. In North America the choice of leek varieties has been quite limited\nuntil recently. Fortunately many European varieties are now becoming more\nwidely available. Leeks can be divided into two kinds (can\u2019t everything),\naccording to their hardiness: the summer leeks and the winter leeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nSummer Leeks<\/strong>: These fast growing leeks aren\u2019t as hardy as the winter types and\ndon\u2019t store as well. They are grown in summer for immediate consumption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gros\nLong d\u02ddEte <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Runner\nF1 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Megaton\nF1 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

King\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varna<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter Leeks<\/strong>: These leeks grow quite slowly, but are very hardy and can remain\nin the ground over the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

winter. They often have a bluish tinge to their leaves and are\nconsidered the best flavored types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaska\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

American\nFlag <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bandit\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bleu\nSolaise <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carenton\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giant\nMusselburgh <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lyon\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

St.\nVictor <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tadorna\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scotland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeks are considered one of the finest flavored members of the\nonion family and are especially highly esteemed in France. They are a main\ningredient of the famous leek and potato soup (made from two peasant staples). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In France the dark green parts are often\nused separately to make soup stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leek and potato soup<\/strong>  

4 leeks
1 onion
1 lb potatoes
\u00bd tsp sea
4 cloves garlic
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tsp rosemary  

Chop the leeks and onion and saut\u00e9 until they become translucent. Add
the chopped garlic and cook another minute. Add the potatoes (chopped
into \u00bd\u02dd cubes) and the vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes in a
covered pan. Allow the soup to cool so you can put it in a blender along with the rosemary and salt and blend until smooth. Re-heat before
serving.  
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Elephant Garlic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allium\nscorodoprasum<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An elephant garlic bulb look like a giant garlic and is even\ndivided into a number of cloves, but it is actually more closely related to the\nleek than it is to garlic. Its flavor is garlic-like, but a lot milder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elephant garlic is a hardy and easy to grow plant (just treat it\nlike big garlic). Plant the large cloves 3 – 4\u02dd deep and 8 – 10\u02dd apart, in rows\n18 – 24\u02dd apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If any\nflower stems start to emerge, remove them so the plant devotes all of its\nenergy to bulb production. Unlike garlic the flowers will produce seed if left\nto their own devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elephant\ngarlic is not a substitute for garlic and if you use it like that you will be\ndisappointed. It isn\u2019t a very important flavoring because the flavor is very\nmild. You can use it in any of the ways you might use a sweet onion. It is best\nused raw, to add a mild garlic flavor to salads and sandwiches. It is good on\npizza and can also be sauteed, but be careful not to overcook it, as this will\nmake it bitter. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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