I grow a mixture of ornamentals and edibles and I always like to try something new in both arenas. Sometimes they become a new favorite, while other times they are a bust. In the case of leeks, it is a 50/50 deal. I love leeks to cook with, but they are a tad expensive, and you usually only use the white part or up to the light green,
so there is a lot you don't use. I saw them last spring being sold by Bonnie Plants in a little cup loaded with seedlings.
I decided leeks would be my new try for 2019. I did not know I would not be harvesting until 2020!
That one little pot of leeks had a lot of plants in it, and not being one to throw living plants away, I planted them in a variety of locations in early April 2019.
The main planting was in my raised bed,
but then I had several large pots full of them too. They need full sun, well-drained soil and regular fertility. They grew,
and they grew, and they grew. As they grew I did add a little more soil, so I would have more white parts when they were ripe.
Fall rolled around and they were still growing, but not as large as I wanted. They made it through the winter just fine, and just kept growing.
Finally a couple of plants got large enough and started to bolt or send up a bloom spike. I have started harvesting
and I still have about 20 or more to go. I do not have all large mature leeks, because space limited how close together they were planted. They should be 6 inches apart and that just did not happen in my large pots. But the nice thing with most plants in the onion family, you can harvest them at any stage or size and still get an oniony flavor. Leeks have a mild onion flavor.
I do not have a sandy soil, so there isn't as much grit in them as the ones I buy at the grocery store. I did cut them and soak them in water before using them. The flavor is quite nice. A friend told me they freeze well, so once I have them all harvested, I will probably chop and freeze some for later use too.
They were not difficult to grow, but they take up a lot of real estate in the garden for a long time. I don't think I will be growing them again, as I have limited areas for vegetables and am looking for a quicker return in harvest. I did learn something and have great leeks to eat.