Planting Leeks

Leek transplants and their wet life-line

So last year I experimented with planting my first leeks, rather unsuccessfully I might add (planted too deep, in too heavy clay, and way too late (june) in the year). Despite disappointing leeks that were still no larger than a over-size scallion in October, I'm trying again. That's where it gets interesting, I couldn't stop at just a few pots of young leek sprouts when I saw them at Home Depot last Sunday and I ended up buying 6 pots ($3 something each), enough to transplant two 25' rows with around 160 leeks. This year I planted them in a deep trench filled with very rich and well-amended topsoil (lots of composted manure and peat moss).

Trimming the roots back

After removing the peat pot and soil they come in, I cut the tangled mass of roots back to less than an inch, and separated each of the 20+ transplants. After wetting in the soil, I planted each leek by poking a 3" deep hole with a stick and then carefully inserting the plant. A staggered planting grid kept each transplant about 6" from it's neighbor. Books and websites say that trimming the roots and leaves back is the traditional European method, but optional. I found that both are necessary. The leeks with trimmed roots (before trimming they're 5-7" long) are much easier to insert into the planting holes, and the uncut long leaves get blown around in our spring winds much more after planting--inviting stress--than the transplants with leaves trimmed to 3-4" above the ground.

Leeks, at long last

With an extended break between snow storms, the disappearing snow cover has allowed the bright days to warm the soil and reveal the last vegetable to harvest from under the deepest snowbanks in my garden; the little leeks.

I kept these transplanted leeks in the ground from spring through winter with the hopes that they would fatten through the late fall, and perhaps grow-out to full size early this spring. They've shown the incredible 'anti-freeze' properties of all alum (onion) family members, but I was still surprised at how healthy these plants did in their lightly mulched beds. However, as the soil warms and plans for this season's garden start to come together, it became clear that all but a few of the leeks (the lucky ones are interspersed with my perennial bed of young chard) are in beds I have different plans for this year and need to be harvested soon. They'll be a wonderful fresh vegetable addition to a number of early spring dishes/stews and yet I'm also excited to see how the few remaining leeks grow-out through this spring, and just maybe grow to a respectable size.