Spotlight on: Leeks!
Leeks are the quintessential winter food. They are super winter hardy, and they are a more dependable allium crop than onions. Many people have a difficult time growing onions, but other than needing a long growing season to size up, leeks are pretty easy to grow.
How does one grow leeks? I’ll relate how we grow leeks at Sweet Rock, and we are pretty successful this way. I’m sure there are other good ways too. First, look at variety. Leek seeds are usually sold as “summer”, “fall”, or “winter” leeks. Summer leeks have been bred to be faster growing to get a harvest in late summer, but are not winter hardy, and usually turn to mush if you try to overwinter them in any but the warmest areas.
Winter leeks are at the other end of the spectrum: slower growing but supremely winter hardy, and in my opinion, better tasting because the frosts make the leeks sweeter. And of course you can eat them at any time, if they are at a size you desire. Fall leeks are in-betweeners, and are hit and miss with hardiness. At Sweet Rock we grow a variety called Tadorna, which is a winter hardy, beautiful blue-green coloured leek.
Next is sowing time. We sow ours in early February (which is almost here!) inside and allow for a long growing period in spring to size up. If you live in a colder area where there is a real Canadian winter and spring doesn’t come until May, then you can still grow them. Just provide more fertility and water and they will grow faster and catch up. The first picture below is a bed of leeks that was planted in May from leftovers in the tray, and they did just as well as the leeks transplanted into the field two months earlier. I just heaped a ton of fertile compost into the bed first and planted into it.
The leeks in the second photo were field planted with less fertility two months earlier, but still sized up well. They just took longer. Both plantings, by the way, have weathered an 18” dump of snow, and multiple frost/thaw cycles which are very hard on winter crops. They are quite fine, which shows they are a real hardy winter crop.
When you are ready to sow your seeds, fill a tray with potting mix and layer the seeds on top trying to space them apart about an inch or so from each other. Gently press them in then and sprinkle another 1/4” of mix on top. Water them in and place in a warm (not hot) space. They should start coming up in a few days to a week.
If you have lights, perfect, but if you don’t then place them in the brightest window you have. If you have a cold frame or greenhouse they can go in there, but make sure you have a cover for the tray, or mice will find them and eat them. Keep them well watered and when they are 6” or so in height they can be transplanted into the garden about 6-8” apart. If it is still too nasty to get in the garden and the leeks are getting lanky, just trim the top couple of inches off of the leeks. They’ll be fine.
Leeks like a fertile soil. They are heavy feeders, so any extra compost can be put in their bed. They will survive in most any soil, but if it is lacking in nutrients they won’t size up. You’ll have skinny leeks (which isn’t the worst thing in the world). They also like water, but again, will grow just fine with only a moderate amount of water.
Finally, if you want long white shanks on your leeks, all you need to do is hill up soil around the base a few inches high and that will blanch the shank. Or you can plant them extra deep so only the growing tip is protruding from the soil. This works too. Harvest when they are ready; that is, when they are big enough for you to eat. That’s it!
