So I’ve been reading the history of leeks today.
This last year or so, I bought and cooked some for the first time in my life. I never had them as a child, even growing up on a farm, and I don’t understand why. They are absolutely phenomenal and I cannot stop cooking with them.
I live in zone 6a, in North America. I’ve read leeks prefer cold weather. While our summers here do get hot, peaking in July (with tons of rain), our winters have become so mild. It does not snow much here at all any longer. The only month it is truly cold is February, and the coldest weather is usually the driest. Whenever precipitation happens here during winter, it’s never on the cold days, winter precipitation brings darling 45°F rain. Least for the last 7 years or so.
Anyway, I’ve read they grow wild in places like the UK, Wales, and Ireland. I think I could take advantage of our mild winters.
Are leeks something I could plant in the fall? Anyone here familiar with growing them?
Never grown them but I am a big leak fan. I feel your enthusiasm
I appreciate the leek camaraderie
Leek soup woth garlic and croutons is delicious
I tried to grow leeks in my garden, but I don’t think I did it right because when I went to harvest them the stalk was not tasty like it had become woody or something. Do you need to harvest them before they start to create the flower?
Yes, you don’t want it to flower.
That’s true of basically all plants. I don’t know of any off the top of my head that still taste good by the time they flower.
Only things that you eat the flower or seeds.
Sounds like you waited too long to harvest - leeks get woody when they mature too much, gotta pull them when the stalks are about 1-2 inches thick for the best texture and flavor.
From my brief look into it today, it seems similar in this way to garlic.
You want to cut its scape, or flower, when it appears, so that the plant puts more energy into its root/stalk, not the flower. Then the plant will continue to grow.
Happy cake day :)
Oh yeah? Wow time flies. Thank you :)
I’ve grown leaks in SE MI, which was recently reclassified as 6a, as a spring into summer crop from seeds started indoors. I didn’t have any problems with health or yeild. Haven’t tried them as a fall into winter crop.
Like all things produce, “Leak” is a family with different members being more cold tolerant than others. It looks like 20 °F is the floor, but dropping below freezing can do damage.
I love eating leeks. They are one of the best in the onion family which is a hard category. I’ve never grown them before but I think I might like to
I’ve grown leeks last few years in 6b immediately adjacent to 6a. (Doing kohlrabi this year instead). They grew just fine for me. The only tending needed was weeding. I start them indoors mainly because have tomatoes and other things to start as well. Then I don’t have to worry about germination rates and thinning either. I just pop them in the ground in the spring, let them go all summer, and harvest them throughout fall as I need them. I’ve never had a problem with too hot, too cold, or flowering/woodiness, though I’m sure there is variation between different cultivars. I grew American Flag leeks.
Thanks, I’ll be humming this all day now.
