Common name: leek

Botanical name: Allium porrum

Origin: Mediterranean, Egypt

Varieties

Titan (120 days); American Flag (120 days); Broad London (130 days); Tivi (115 days).

Description

The leek is a hardy biennial grown as an annual. It's a member of the onion family, but has a stalk rather than a bulb and leaves that are flat and straplike instead of hollow. The Welsh traditionally wear a leek on St. David's day (March 1) to commemorate King Cadwallader's victory over the Saxons in A.D. 640, when the Welsh pulled up leeks and wore them as ID's. The more decorous now wear a daffodil instead.

Where and when to grow

Leeks are a cool-weather crop. They'll tolerate warm temperatures, but you'll get better results if the days are cool; temperatures under 75°F produce the best yields. Plant leeks from seed in the spring four to six weeks before the average date of last frost and from transplants in fall for a late harvest. Plant transplants in

spring if you want to speed up the crop to avoid a hot summer.

How to plant

Leeks like a place in full sun and thrive in rich, well-worked soil with good drainage. When you're preparing the soil, dig in a complete, well-balanced fertilizer at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet or 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Plant the seeds an eighth inch deep in rows 12 to 18 inches apart, and thin them six to nine inches apart. To plant transplants, make holes six inches deep, about six to nine inches apart, in well-worked soil. Double rows save space; to make them, stagger the plants with their leaves growing parallel to the rows so they will not grow into the pathway. Drop the leeks in the holes, but do not fill in with soil. Over a period of time, watering will slowly collapse the soil around the leeks and settle them in.

Special handling

In order to grow a large, white, succulent leek, blanch the lower part of the stem by hilling the soil up around the stalk as It develops.

Fertilizing and watering

Fertilize before planting and again at midseason, at the same rate as the rest of the garden. Give leeks plenty of water to keep them growing strongly.

Pests

Onion thrips may show up on leeks in dry weather. Discourage them by hosing them off the plants, or spray them with Malathion or Diazinon, Leeks will do well in the organic garden despite the thrips.

Diseases

Leeks have no serious disease problems.