apricot
spinach
mulberry
spring onion
purple carrot
yellow onion
white onion
pusa asita carrot
Photos
I managed to grow some truly giant leeks this year.
Unfortunately I also had a lot of spring onion, so started to reach a limit for what could be done.
Standout new recipe: Miso braised leeks
elephant garlic
Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum
Last edited by shiny on November 11, 2026. View history
Leek
Also known as
wild leek (EN)
vine leek (EN)
Levant garlic (EN)
alho porro bravo (EN)
liiki (EN)
How to sow leek: Direct seed or transplant seedlings
Sun requirement for leek: Plant in Full Sun
The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of Allium ampeloprasum, the broadleaf wild leek. The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. Historically, many scientific names were used for leeks, but they are now all treated as cultivars of A. ampeloprasum. The name 'leek' developed from the Anglo-Saxon word "leac". Two closely related vegetables, elephant garlic and kurrat, are also cultivars of A. ampeloprasum, although different in their uses as food. The onion and garlic are also related, being other species of the genus Allium.
Leeks have thick blue-green foliage. The bundle of white leaf sheaths has a mild onion taste and can be blanched, steamed, braised, or grilled and used in soups, stews, omelet fillings, and more. The leaves can be used to make stock.
Plant their leeks in autumn, and they should fatten up in time for winter picking. Plant them early to ensure they have enough time to grow before winter. Leeks take up to six months to mature after transplanting.
Newer cultivars have quicker maturity – three to four months. Maturity is often affected by temperature, available nutrients and water.
Leeks need a soil that is rich in organic matter. Dig in compost or manure two weeks before planting. Add fertiliser every few weeks
Leeks like aged manure, especially chicken manure, and worm castings, another excellent source of nutrients.
Plant seedlings in full sun, with moist but well-drained deep soil. Raised beds are ideal. Water young plants frequently.
The white part of the leek is edible; the green is not. You can blanch the stems to increase the proportion of stem that’s edible and to sweeten the taste. Do this to fully grown leeks. Tie a paper collar around each stem and gently hill the earth up around the stem. Be careful not to get soil between the paper collar and stem as the leek may rot.
As the plants grow, add another collar above the first one and hill up more soil. Be aware that slugs and snails can hide in the paper collars
Harvest the leeks when stems are around 2.5cm in diameter. Dig carefully around the leek and lift with a garden fork. Do not pull, as the leek is likely to break.
- 37
- plantings
- 12
- harvests
- 4
- seed packets
Leek facts
Lifespan
Annual
living and reproducing in a single year or less
37 weeks
median lifespan
First harvest expected
40
weeks after planting
Last harvest expected
56
weeks after planting
Height × spread
60cm × 25cmRow Spacing
15cmGrowing Degree Days
120Grown for
whole plant harvested 12 times
Optimal temperature
18–24 °C
Absolute temperature
6–27 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall
750–1000 mm/year
Absolute rainfall
350–2800 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH
6–6.5
Absolute soil pH
4.5–7.5
FAO EcoCrop
Crop cycle
120–150 days
FAO EcoCrop
Max altitude
1000 m
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal light
clear skies
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
Leek needs about 120 growing degree days.
For leek, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 6°C and a shortest growing cycle of 120 days at its best temperature, about 1800 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your leek will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
Growing leeks
- Sow seeds in trays 10 weeks before planting out
- Dig compost into the bed 1 week before planting out
- Water regularly at planting out every week
- Feed with a nitrogen fertiliser 4 weeks after planting out every month
- Earth up the stems 8 weeks after planting out every 2 weeks
- Lift the leeks at first harvest
How members grow leeks
Sunniness
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Planted from
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Harvested for
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Varieties of leek
Lyon leek
Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum
Plant leeks with
Photos
Leek plantings
Leek harvests
Leek seeds
Video
Where leeks grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about leeks
How to save seeds
by shiny,
Beans, peas and corn: remove husks and allow seeds to dry out – this may take a couple of weeks, then remove casings and store.
Pumpkins and melons: seeds need to be washed and set aside to dry for a week or so before …
beans
peas
corn
pumpkins
melons
lettuces
celery
parsnips
carrots
leeks
onions
radicchio
cucumbers
tomatoes
zucchini
capsica
Read more
Who's planted leeks
- broderick Tub garden · Canberra
- shiny seedlings frames · Wellington, NZ
- CloCkWeRX Metal Raised Garden · Rosewater, South...
- valgrind Vegetable Garden
- cas3y my old lunchbox · Whanganui a tara
Leek harvests
-
CloCkWeRX harvested 2, weighing 0.4 kg.
almost 3 years ago
-
CloCkWeRX harvested 1, weighing 0.25 kg.
almost 3 years ago
-
CloCkWeRX harvested 1, weighing 0.4 kg.
almost 3 years ago
CloCkWeRX harvested 2, weighing 0.4 kg.
Find leek seeds
View all leek seeds
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
- Sign in or sign up to list your seeds to trade.
Nutritional data
A summary of nutritional data per 100g for Leek, fresh, raw.
| Energy | 136.0 kJ |
|---|---|
| Protein | 2.1 g |
| Fat, total | 0.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 3.7 g |
| - Sugars | 3.7 g |
| Fibre | 3.1 g |
| Sodium | 17.0 mg |
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Allium ampeloprasum L.
| Family / Taxonomy | Liliopsida Liliidae Asparagales Alliaceae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: -5 °C, rest: -5 °C |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | annual, biennial |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | medium (50-150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, organic |
| Optimal soil fertility | high |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | long day (>14 hours) |
Learn more about leeks
Resources outside Growstuff.
