Giant Musselburgh Leek
Old time favourite. Delicious and mild-flavoured. Thick stems are used as an autumn or winter alternative for green onions. Like onions, leeks are considered a root vegetable and have great flavour that can give your homemade soup recipe a special touch. Leeks have a unique root that forms a large, straight shank, unlike onions that form a bulb. Maturity in 100-105 days. Approx. 500 seeds/pkg.
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Details
Growing Information
Planting:
Start indoors 8-10 weeks prior to the last frost. Sow seed 1⁄4 inches deep and provide a soil temperature of 24 degrees C with even moisture. Thin and transplant young seedlings once they reach 2 inches tall into 21⁄4 inches Jiffy pots. Once soil can be worked in the spring, seedlings may be set in a trench about 5 inches deep, filling in enough soil to cover the roots. Space plants 6 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart. Gradually fill the trenches in during the season. Planting this way blanches the shaft. Can be seeded as soon as soil can be worked in spring. As the plants grow be sure to hoe the soil up around the plants during the season to blanch the shaft.
Growing:
Leeks prefer full sun and soil pH of 6.0-6.5. They are moderate feeders and require very deep, rich soil. Add compost and well-rotted manure prior to planting. Use mulch to conserve moisture and to keep the weeds down. Good soil moisture helps to keep the stems tender and juicy. Water during dry spells.
Harvesting:
Harvest in late summer or early fall before frost. The shafts should be 1.5-2 inches in diameter. Mulch with straw if frost threatens.
Pests & Diseases:
Rarely troubled by pests.
Companions:
Bush bean, beet, carrot, celery, garlic, onion, parsley, tomato.