Leek Herbstriesen 2

Allium porrum L.

Autumn type of leek with thick stem (18-20 cm) with long dark green-blue leaves. The stem is even without onion formation at the roots. It offers high yield of first quality produce that require little cleaning. It's resistant to saline and low temperatures and is therefor suitable for early sowing and forcing in cold greenhouses. It doesn't survive winter.

We devide leek into two groups: autumn and winter leek. Autumn leeks are sown early in the spring and harvested in late summer and autumn. Winter leeks are sown in late spring and early in the summer and are harvested in winter. We do not sow leek in autumn (except for growing in greenhouses) because it has a very long growing season and it won't thicken until winter and will bloom in spring. It takes at least 6 moths from sowing to harvesting.

If we want long and thick stems, we shouldn't cover the seedlings when we plant them. With the handle of a hoe we make a deep hole in the ground, we put in a seedling and water it. We do not fill the hole with soil, but only leave the soil that gets in the hole after watering. If we put too much soil around the leek, it won't be able to thicken well. When the leeks are big enough, the stem can be covered with soil, so that the white part of the leek is longer.