Lancelot Leek Plants

Days to Maturity: 78

An open-pollinated variety, Lancelot Leek Plants are bulb vegetables that produce uniform, 12- to 14-inch-long, thick, succulent white shafts with a mild, sweet onion flavor, great for soups, salads, and roasting. Leeks are a good source of folate and potassium as well as a source of fiber, thiamin, and vitamins B6 and C. They also contain phytonutrients.

This plant is a member of the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). Typically grown as an annual, the leek is an herbaceous perennial plant with a fan-like sheaf of flat, blue-green leaves that grow to about 12 inches long and won't keel over at the first hint of frost. The plant has a relatively slow growth rate and grows continually as long as it is blanched.

Leeks are great companion plants in the garden. They naturally deter certain garden pests, like aphids, Japanese beetles, sugar beet-flea beetles, deer, and rabbits. Scattering them around the vegetable garden helps to produce healthier harvests.

Bolt resistant, highly versatile, and easy to grow, Lancelot Leek Plants prefer full sun and deep, organically rich, moist, well-drained, sandy loams with a pH of 6.2 to 6.8. Leeks have shallow root systems and need consistent moisture. They are heavy feeders. Adding manure or compost to the soil several weeks before planting (or the winter before) and applying fertilizer when planting and again when plants have 5 to 6 leaves increases plant size. Keep beds free of weeds, which will compete with the leeks for water and nutrients. Lancelot Leek Plants are disease resistant, but to help prevent disease, practice crop rotation, and do not plant leeks where other onion family crops have been grown in the prior 3 years.

A cool-season, winter-hardy vegetable, the toughest of the cool-season crops, one of the first to be planted in the garden, Lancelot Leeks can be direct sown into the garden as soon as the soil is workable in early spring, about 3 weeks before the last frost date. But it can also be started indoors and transplanted, spring and fall. It needs cold temperatures to germinate and grow, withstanding heavy frost and temperatures below 28 degrees, but protect plants from extended heavy frost with row covers. Leeks may be successfully overwintered in regions with mild winters.

Harvest leeks when lower stems reach 1- to 1½-inch diameter, or at desired size for baby leeks. Leave them lying in the garden for 1 to 2 days to dry, if weather permits; continue drying them for 2 to 3 weeks in a cool, dry, sunny location; and once completely dried, store them in a dark, dry environment in mesh bags or crates with good air circulation.

Onion sets are small onion bulbs grown in the previous season. The partially formed bulbets are around ¾ inch in diameter, making them easier to plant than seed. They develop into full-size bulbs quickly after planting, in approximately 3½ months. Sets tend to produce stronger, more vigorous plants compared to seed, ensuring larger yields.