How to Grow Leeks

Category: 

Vegetable

Planting Time:

Late Winter Indoors, or Early Spring Outdoors

Harvest Time:

Approx 14-16 weeks

Difficulty:

Easy

Planting & Care Instructions:

Fill pots or cell trays with compost and press down to firm the soil
Sow one or two seeds per cell in a cell tray or a few seeds in a pot at least 2cm apart
Cover over with a thin layer of compost and water
Early sown pots should be placed on a sunny window sill indoors or into a greenhouse
Seeds can also be sowed direct to outdoors once the final frosts of the year have passed
If sowed into pots, seedlings can be thinned out or separated before transplanting outside or potting on to bigger containers or tubes
Before bringing outside, harden off the plants by leaving them out for longer periods of time in the day for up to 2 weeks
Plants can be transplanted outside once they are roughly 6-8 inches tall
Dig one hole 6 inch tall for each plant and about 12 inches apart, and place the seedlings into the holes
Fill the holes with water and allow to drain
Do not pack in the holes with soil, instead allow the soil to fall in naturally which will give the leeks room to establish and grow
Keep the soil around the leeks free from weeds
Leeks can be harvested once they have reached the desired size by digging a fork well under the leek roots and levering upwards whilst pulling up the plant