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Bonnie Plants Leeks is an heirloom member of the onion family... the gourmet’s onion because of their mild flavor prized for casseroles, stir-fry, soups including classic leek & potato soup, and omelets.
This version, called American Flag, is one of the favorite leeks for home gardens. Plants grow nice, 10-inch-long, white stalks about 1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter. American Flag is a frost-tolerant, cold-hardy leek, making it good for fall planting in zones 7 and warmer, easily growing where temperatures don’t drop below 10 degrees in winter, but they take longer to grow to full size. This also goes by the name Broad London leek.
Stalk size 10 inches
Matures 80 days
Plant spacing 6 inches apart
Plant size 15 to 18 inches tall
Grace your dinner table with an easy-to-grow, elegant onion cousin: the leek. Sweet and mild, leeks are gentle on the digestive system and play the role of onion in dishes, only toned down. Unlike onions, leeks don’t produce bulbs but stash their flavor in thick, juicy stems that look similar to giant scallions. Leafy stems are pretty, and growing leeks doesn’t require much room in the garden.In the supermarket, leeks cost a premium; harvested from the garden, they’re a bargain. Leeks are most famous for leek and potato soup, but they’re also good steamed like asparagus, oven-roasted, chopped in quiche, or wrapped in ham and baked (perhaps with a little cheese on top).
Frost-tolerant leeks thrive in cool weather. In zones 7 and warmer, plants can overwinter in the ground, making them perfect for fall planting. In northerly zones, tuck plants into beds in early spring, as soon as soil can be worked.
Quick Guide to Growing Leeks
Plant leeks during the cool weather of early spring and fall. They grow well in raised beds, containers, and in-ground gardens.
Space leeks 6 inches apart in an area that gets 6 or more hours of sun daily and has nutrient-rich, well-drained soil.
Improve native soil by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter.
Leeks aren’t fussy, but they do require moist soil, so check soil moisture often and use a soaker hose if necessary.
One week after planting, begin regularly feeding with a water-soluble plant food.
Harvest leeks at any time once they are large enough to eat.
