Growing leeks or leeks in your own garden: We present suitable varieties and give tips and tricks from sowing, care and fertilization to harvesting.
Leek (Allium porrum L.) is ideal for the gardener as it can be harvested almost all year round. For many, the question arises as to whether leeks and leeks are the same: the answer is yes, the two names are used synonymously. The spicy vegetable is not particularly demanding when it comes to cultivation and gives many dishes a special aroma. So it's high time to take care of leeks from your own garden. We reveal the best way to do this.
Leek: origin and characteristics
The leek is most likely a cultivated form of field leeks (Allium ampeloprasum). Its taste and smell indicate the close bond with the onion (Allium cepa). Both belong to the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) and to the Allium genus (Allium). Originally from the Mediterranean region, the plant has been popular as a green vegetable since the time of the Pharaohs. Today's garden leeks were brought from Egypt to Europe by the Romans. Appreciated by the ancient Greeks and Romans, leeks were particularly revered for their soothing effects on the throat. The Roman emperor Nero supposedly ate leeks every day to strengthen his voice. The vegetable quickly spread throughout Europe. Leek was known not only as a year-round source of vitamins, but also as a remedy. For example, leeks are said to help lower blood pressure, support cardiovascular he alth and improve digestion. The leek is so popular in Wales that it adorns the coat of arms there.
Leek is a biennial, herbaceous plant that can grow to a height of between 60 and 80 centimetres. In contrast to field leeks, leeks do not develop bulbs. The leaves are lanceolate and 1 to 5 centimeters wide. The leaves are white and fused at the bottom of the stem, turning blue-green towards the top.
Selection of leeks
There are different varieties of leeksto choose from - a distinction is made between summer leeks, which are cultivated in the warm months, autumn leeks and winter leeks, which continue to grow even when there is snow and frost. We will tell you which varieties are particularly recommended in our special overview article on leek varieties.
Plant leeks
When growing leeks, the right location and the right approach are crucial. Leeks feel most comfortable in a sunny to partially shaded location. It should also be protected from the wind. If the soil is also loose, permeable and rich in humus and nutrients, nothing stands in the way of successful cultivation.
The ideal location for leeks:
- Sunny to semi-shady
- Sheltered
- Loose, well-drained soil
- Humos and nutritious
Tip: Good plant neighbors for the leek are celery (Apium graveolens), endive (Cichorium endivia ), Marjoram (Origanum majorana L.), Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus ) and kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes).
Once you have chosen the right location in the garden, you need to plant or sow your leeks. You can either grow young plants yourself from seed or buy pre-grown plants. You can buy leek plants in many nurseries, garden centers or hardware stores. Alternatively, you can also order young plants and seeds for leeks online. You can find out how to proceed with the cultivation of leeks in the following brief instructions.
Quick guide to growing leeks:
- You can start germinating the seeds at the end of February. To do this, we recommend growing the seeds on a sunny windowsill.
- Prepare the soil before planting or direct sowing in the bed. Here we recommend improving the soil with compost or a fertilizer with an organic long-term effect (about 10 liters of compost per square meter). The heavy feeder leeks will thank you with good yields.
- Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect is particularly well suited for leeks. It creates the best growth conditions for your leeks right from the start.
- When the early seedlings are about pencil thick, it's time to plant them out.
- You can plant out the young plants from mid-April, planting about 15 cm apart with a hole depth of about 10 to 12 cm.
- WantIf you sow them directly, March is recommended for early varieties. For a winter leek harvest, sow from May to June.
- After planting, water the plants well.
Caring for the leek
If the leek is in the bed and growing diligently, it needs regular attention to bring you a rich harvest. Chop the bed regularly. This will remove weeds and loosen the soil. This promotes mineralization and the water absorption capacity of the soil. Also pile up the soil around the stalks of the leeks regularly. This ensures a longer white shaft. This will then be particularly mild and tender.
Leek need sufficient moisture for good growth. You should water it well, especially on hot summer days. Complete drying out of the soil is to be avoided, as is waterlogging. We already know that leeks are heavy feeders. Above all, it needs nitrogen-rich fertilization in order to be able to deliver high yields. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer is ideally suited for this, as it contains all the important nutrients for your leek and also improves soil life and soil fertility in the garden. Due to its long-term effect, it only needs to be fertilized every four to six weeks. The situation is different with mineral nitrogen fertilizers. If these are used, you must fertilize again every two weeks.
Water and fertilize the leek:
- Hoe and remove weeds regularly
- Mound soil around shaft
- Keep evenly moist
- Avoid waterlogging and drying out
- Nitrogen enhanced fertilization
- Every 4 to 6 weeks with a mainly organic long-term organic fertilizer
Harvest leeks
Leek have a relatively long cultivation period: They can only be harvested five to eight months after planting. The stalks should be at least 3 cm in diameter by the time the leeks are harvested. Depending on whether it is summer, autumn or winter leek, the leek is of course harvested at different times. Summer leeks can be harvested from June to August. Autumn leeks are ready to harvest between September and December, while winter leeks can be harvested between December and May. So you see: If you plan your cultivation correctly, you can harvest fresh leeks from your own garden almost all year round.
When do you harvestLeek?
- 5 - 8 months after planting
- Bars should have a diameter of approx. 3 cm
- Summer leeks: June - August
- Autumn leeks: September - December
- Winter leeks: December - May
To harvest summer leeks, use a sharp knife and cut off the stalk just above the root. If the root remains in the ground, the leek can grow back and be harvested again. This is not the case with winter leeks, as cold winter weather conditions do not allow regrowth. Therefore, winter leeks can easily be dug up with a digging fork and harvested with the root.
Expert Tip: The best time to harvest leeks is in the afternoon, when the leaves have the lowest water content and suffer less damage from leaf breakage.
How do you harvest leeks correctly?
- Cut the summer leek above the root
- Leek will grow back again
- Dig up winter leek with root
Note on flowering leeks: Many people are wondering what flowering leeks are all about and whether the leek flower is poisonous. Leeks are non-toxic but inedible when they begin to flower. You should therefore harvest your leeks early, before flowers appear. If your leeks do start flowering, you can use the blossoms to get seeds for next year.
Storing and preserving leeks
Fortunately, leeks can be preserved in a number of ways. It is best to put it in the vegetable compartment of the fridge. The leek will keep there for one to two weeks. But leeks smell very intense. The whole refrigerator can smell of leeks when it is stored there. If you don't want that, you can also store it in a cool, dry and dark place, where the vegetables will keep for up to three weeks. For example, the pantry or the basement is suitable. You can also wrap the leek in newspaper beforehand and place it upright in a bucket of damp sand. The third way to preserve leeks is to freeze them. It will keep for up to three months like this.
Tip: Wrapped airy, the leek stays fresh longer in the fridge. To do this, remove the uppermost parts of the leaf and then wrap it in a damp cloth. In addition, leeks prefer to be stored upright rather than lying down.
How to store and preserve leeks?
- In a cool, dark, dry place: 2 - 3 weeks
- In the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator: Approx. 1 - 2 weeks
- In the freezer: Up to 3 months
Tip for freezing leeks: The easiest way to preserve leeks over the long term is to freeze them. Many recommend blanching it before putting it in the freezer. But that is not absolutely necessary. Leeks can also be frozen raw. To do this, it is first washed thoroughly, dried and cut into slices. These can then be frozen either raw or blanched.
Do you actually know the difference between leeks, leeks, onions and spring onions? If not, you can learn more about it in our special article.