leek
Mild onion-flavored stalks stand winter cold for months. Leeks deliver sweet long shanks from deep pots year-round.
Video Tutorials
Watch these helpful videos to learn more about leek care.
About leek
Leeks offer sweet tender shanks milder than onions for soups stews. Hardy stand-ins extend harvests through frosts.
Eastern Mediterranean native grows wild coastal rocky spots. Cultivated millennia loves cool fertile moist ground.
Indoors large pots yield in 120-150 days. Hill soil for white bases harvest anytime.
Watering Schedule
Even moisture builds fat shanks 1 inch weekly.
Common Problems & Solutions
Here's how to identify and fix the most common leek problems.
Popular Varieties
Explore different leek varieties and find your perfect match.
Care Tips & Best Practices
Humidity
Moderate fine mulch soil.
Feeding
Nitrogen side-dress May June.
Cleaning
Hoe weeds regular.
Support
Hill soil stability.
Pruning
Remove flower scapes.
Rotation
Turn pots even sun.
Care Checklist
10 Common Mistakes to Avoid
Dry irregular water
Why it's bad: Thin tough shanks.
Do this instead: Weekly 1 inch even.
No rotation alliums
Why it's bad: White rot soil.
Do this instead: 4 years break.
Crowded thin spacing
Why it's bad: Small weak plants.
Do this instead: 15cm apart.
Overhead leaf water
Why it's bad: Rust mildew spread.
Do this instead: Soil base soak.
Cold spring sow
Why it's bad: Bolting poor germ.
Do this instead: Indoor 60°F start.
Poor soil nutrient
Why it's bad: Stunted low yield.
Do this instead: Compost nitrogen.
No hill blanch
Why it's bad: Short green shank.
Do this instead: Monthly soil up.
Weedy competition
Why it's bad: Stunted weeds win.
Do this instead: Hoe mulch weekly.
Hot shade summer
Why it's bad: Weak bolt prone.
Do this instead: Full sun cool.
Harvest too early
Why it's bad: Pencil thin small.
Do this instead: Thumb thick wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grow leeks indoors pots?
Deep 10-gallon sun moist. Harvest 120 days baby sooner.
Why thin tough shanks?
Dry soil drought. Even weekly water mulch fixes.
Water leeks often?
1 inch weekly shallow roots. Mulch conserves dry spells.
Harvest size time?
Pencil baby 90 days thumb mature 150. Hill white.
Prevent leek rust?
Space air flow dry leaves. Resistant varieties rotate.
Best fertilizer leeks?
Nitrogen side-dress May June. Compost rich base.
Blanch leeks how?
Hill soil exclude light. Holes puddle deep plant.
Cold hardy winter?
Stand frosts sweetens. Harvest anytime in ground.
Pets eat leek safe?
Non-toxic raw moderation. Onions kin caution large.
Propagate leek seeds?
Indoor 8 weeks transplant. Offsets divide clumps.
References & Sources
Information in this guide is based on these trusted sources.
