Leek

Sds/g: 400                             Feed Requirements: High                                  Usual Seed Life: 2 years

Cultural Notes:

• There are two ways to grow leek in your garden. The first is if you have plenty of room in your garden is to sow seed 5 mm deep into trenches 10 cm deep (place the soil dug out next to the trench) in rows 50 cm apart and thin plants to 10 – 12 cm apart.  As the leeks grow place the soil from trench around the base of the leeks but below the lowest leaf sheaf to avoid dirt in your leek. This will blanch the base of the leeks.
• The second method: As leeks are slow-growing and if you do not have a lot of room in your garden either start your leeks into a well fertilised seedling bed so they grow quickly and get quiet leggy. When the seedlings are about pencil thickness transplant 10 - 12 cm apart to the bed they will mature using a dibbler to plant just below the first leaf sheaf or to the trench system described above. Leeks will survive Tasmania’s winter. Or sow into punnets to transplant later.

Harvest:

• Use thinnings like spring onions. Leeks planted in December and early January will be the best size to harvest over winter, the earlier planting may be a lot larger and fibrous.