Last spring was the first time I had tried to grow a crop of leeks in
my south Austin garden. It was so successful that I want to share all
of the info that I have on this easily-grown and highly nutritious
plant.
Placed in the genus Allium and the family amaryllidaceae, leeks are
closely related to onions and garlic. However unlike onions that are
day-length sensitive, and garlic which requires a winter 'vernalizing'
period to bulb, leeks are 'day length neutral' – which simply means
you can plant them any time of the year.
You can easily plant them from seed, but they're most commonly
planted from sets (seedling transplants).
Leeks are heavy feeders and love ample amounts of water. Copious
amounts of rich compost and slow release organic fertilizer should
be mixed into the top 6 inches of garden soil. Add some sand or de-
composed granite to provide drainage. A sunny location is best.
Plant your leeks in trenches 6 inches deep and hilled up (like pota-
toes) as they grow. This blanches the bottom of the leek shafts mak-
ing them sweeter and more tender. If you place them 2 inches apart
in the row, this will allow you to harvest every other one early, leav-
ing the others room to mature.
Leeks are most commonly used in soups or for adding flavor to
stocks. You'll find it in Scotland, for example, where it's an impor-
tant part of 'cock-a-leekie,' the national soup. From France comes
potage parmentier, a potato leek soup made famous in this country
by Julia Child. (See above for details on both soups.)
Lancelot leeks now in stock: $7 per bunch
Apart from being good for our overall health, experts tell us it is es-
pecially good for our vocal cords. The emperor Nero dined on leeks
to add strength and quality to his voice, and much, much more recent-
ly, in the film Sophie’s Choice, Sophie (Meryl Streep) was given
leeks to give her strength and add tambour to her voice.
This easy-to-grow vegetable is loaded with vitamins A and K, and
iron, calcium and manganese.
With leeks at more than $1 each in the grocery store, an addition of
leeks to your garden this year might just be an economically wise
move. Happy gardening everyone!
🌲 🌿 🌵 