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(Best months for planting Leeks in Australia - cool/mountain regions)

• Easy to grow.
• Harvest in 105-130 days
• Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
• Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 30°C.
• Space plants: 10-15cm

A member of the onion family. Looks rather like a large scallion or spring onion Grow in seed trays or punnets until about 20cm (8in) tall. They look rather like large blades of grass at that stage. Then plant out into trenches or individual deep holes. The aim is to blanch the stems while the plants are growing. Trenches should be about 20-25cm (8-10in) deep. Set the seedlings 10-15 cm (4 - 6in) apart then add enough soil to just cover the roots. As the plants grow fill the trench. Otherwise - make holes with a dibble or suitable stick 15 cm (6 in) deep and 3-4 cm (1.5 - 2 in) wide. Drop a seedling in each and water enough to cover the roots with soil. As they grow, watering will gradually fill the hole.

Leeks prefer moist clay soils. Keep soil moist and loose, mulch will help.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Leeks

Trim off the roots and any damaged leaves.
Young ones can be used whole with some of the green leaves
Wash thoroughly as the earth tends to get inside.
Chop and fry in butter (or olive oil) until tender.
Can be added to casserole meals, allowing time to cook through.
Leek and mushroom make a tasty combination for a tart filling.

Your comments and tips

25 Jul 09 Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hey Rhonda, let us know how your hose blanching goes! I just pile up mulch.

12 Oct 09 Maureen (Australia - temperate climate)

I have some Leeks growing at the moment and they have a round ball shape at the top of the plant is this usual

22 Nov 09 Vicki (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Wash, chop and steam the green leaves of the leek for a tasty side dish to chicken/fish/meat and mash potatoes. You can also saute the chopped leaves in butter or add them to soups and stews. Delicious!

13 Dec 09 Evelyn (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I grew leeks for the first time and harvested the first one yesterday. It was flowering and it was the leek with the thickest stem. I must have done something terribly wrong as the stem was very hard and difficult to cut. Almost like cutting into a piece of bamboo. I did not cover the stems (blanching?) with soil but let them grow normally - maybe I should have done something different. Any advice.

30 Dec 09 Demeter (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Same. I think I planted them too late last summer and now have gone to seed and virtually inedible. Planting more now.

30 Dec 09 Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Evelyn, once leeks start to flower they are completely inedible. You need to harvest them well before they grow the flower stem as it is very woody. You shouldn't need to cover the stems, but I would harvest them as soon as they reach an edible size (a couple of centimetres in diameter).

02 Jan 10 Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

All is not lost if your leek goes to flower - You can eat the flower stem, just cook it like asparagus. I've never tried eating the leek flowers, but spring onion flowers can be a yummy addition to salad - I just pick a few 'petals' when they have the nectar in them (sweet and oniony flavour) and add to salad or garnish.

11 Jan 10 (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Thanks very much for the tips Chris, Demeter and Barb. The variety sounded so nice too - a French one called Jaune du Poitou. Next year I will give it another try. One positive thing the flowers are beautiful and the bees love them.

20 Jan 10 elisa (Australia - temperate climate)

i planted leeks about august last year, of the 7 that were planted only one grew to a decent size, the others are still in there but no where near ready to pull. why would this be, could i have planted them too close together or was i just too late in planting?

04 Mar 10 Wendy (Australia - tropical climate)

I'm trying to grow leeks in a full tropical climate. As our winter/dry season is more like summer in a temperate zone, this year I'll try planting out as soon as the rain diminishes then plant maybe six every two weeks or so. We have an aquaponics system also which I plan to try leek in this winter. Wish me luck.