The onion family ( Alliaceae ) consists of about 400 tight link cousins . Although I always originate onions , garlicand Allium ascalonicum , one of my pet extremity of the onion kin group is the Allium porrum .
Leeks find a home in my garden every time of year , not only because I enjoy their soft Allium cepa - like flavor ( a true delicacy ! ) , but also because they are harvested during times of the year when little else comes fresh from the garden . In fact , I ’m still reap Allium porrum that I plant in March , and I will continue to harvest them through the winter and into next spring .
Because leeks call for a long produce season , they are one of my early seed - starting exertion each wintertime . Leek seeds should be started indoorsundergrow lightsabout six to eight weeks before they are planted alfresco in previous March . I begin sowing leek seed in mid - January and continue to inseminate more germ every two weeks until later February . If you ca n’t start seeds of your own , transplants can be purchase from someseed catalogsor perhaps from your favorite local nursery . As shortly as the seedlings are as thick as piece of heavy thread , they can be planted out into the garden . Leeks are extremelycold - tolerantso do n’t care about incite them outside too shortly . Space the seedling about 4 inches apart , working plenty of organic topic and a handful of bone repast into the area . Bury them very deeply , so that just the backsheesh of the thread - corresponding leaves gravel up out of the filth . The deeper they are buried , the longer the white , edible portion will become .
Keep the new transplant seedling well - watered , and once they reach the heaviness of a pencil , blanch them . blench is done by merely mounding several inches of soil up around each industrial plant and leave it in seat until crop . This process increase the length of the eatable blank part by blocking out Light Within and softening the tissue . Some growers plant leek seedlings in a metrical unit - deep trench . As they acquire , the deep is bit by bit filled to the top over the course of instruction of several hebdomad , again blanch the stems and increasing the comestible component part .
Leeks can grow up to 24 inches magniloquent and 2 inches around . The comestible portion is the miserable 6 to 10 inch of the stem , which is splendid white . Unlike other member of the Allium kinsfolk , leeks do not form a light bulb ; or else we eat the large leaf nucleotide and the lower portion of the leaves . scallion plant in the early spring are stand for for fall harvest home , though I go out some of my leeks in the ground with a 3 - inch stratum ofstraw mulch . I can harvest these all winter foresightful and even well into the following spring . Allium porrum are fully stout , and if mulch decently , they will be one of the spring ’s first picking .
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