Grow Leeks the Size of Baseball Bats

Far too often, the leeks available for sale at the farmers market or grocery store are of substandard quality. Their stalks are thin and the white part is way too short. Anyone can grow leeks to be proud of if they are willing to invest a bit of time and a little effort. Leeks require about 120 days from seed to maturity. Start the leek seeds indoors about eight to ten weeks before it is time to plant outdoors in your area. Transplant them several times before they get planted in the garden to end up with transplants worthy of planting. After the tender seedlings emerge and are strong enough to be handled, transplant them into a deeper flat. Continue to make successive transplanting as the young plants grow with the goal being pencil sized transplants when it is time to put them in the garden. Trim the top growth occasionally to encourage strong root growth.

As leeks are a hardy cool season plant, they may be transplanted to the garden as soon as the soil can be prepared. Once the garden is ready and the transplants are properly hardened off, it is time to put the young leek plants in the garden. Till the area where the leeks will grow very thoroughly. Leeks need fertile well-drained soil and full sun to reach their full potential. In the prepared soil dig a trench that is about eight to ten inches deep. Place some well rotted cow or horse manure in the bottom of the trench and cover it with a few inches of fine soil. Trim both the tops and the roots of each plant before planting in the garden. Plant the pencil sized leek plants about four inches apart along the bottom of the trench and firm the soil around each plant. Be sure to water regularly as insufficient or irregular watering will reduce both the overall yield and individual plant size. Fertilize every two weeks or so by side dressing with more composted manure. As the plants grow, add more soil to the trench until the original trench is full and then hill the soil around the plants as growth continues. Be sure to keep the area weed free especially during the first few weeks of growth. Remove weeds as soon as they emerge taking care not to damage the tender leek roots. Organic mulch can help with weed control as well as conserve moisture and provide additional nutrients for the growing plants.

Leeks may be harvested when they reach an inch in diameter but by growing in the manner described they should easily reach as much as two inches or more in diameter. The edible white stem will range from six to ten inches long. Enjoy your harvest!