Quality seeds for kitchen, cottage and native gardeners
Vegetable Seeds Catalogue
Leek
Sds/g: 400 Feed Requirements: High Usual Seed Life: 2 years
Cultural Notes:
- There are two ways to grow leek in your garden. The first is if you have plenty of room in your garden is to sow seed 5 mm deep into trenches 10 cm deep (place the soil dug out next to the trench) in rows 50 cm apart and thin plants to 10 – 12 cm apart. As the leeks grow place the soil from trench around the base of the leeks but below the lowest leaf sheaf to avoid dirt in your leek. This will blanch the base of the leeks.
- The second method: As leeks are slow-growing and if you do not have a lot of room in your garden either start your leeks into a well fertilised seedling bed so they grow quickly and get quiet leggy. When the seedlings are about pencil thickness transplant 10 - 12 cm apart to the bed they will mature using a dibbler to plant just below the first leaf sheaf or to the trench system described above. Leeks will survive Tasmania’s winter. Or sow into punnets to transplant later.
Harvest:
- Use thinnings like spring onions. Leeks planted in December and early January will be the best size to harvest over winter, the earlier planting may be a lot larger and fibrous.
Sowing periods
Durabel is our favourite leek. It holds beautifully all through winter and is later than most varieties in putting up a seed stalk in spring (so it does not go as woody and fibrous as early). Durabel makes straight shanks without much hint of bulbing at the base. At harvest the shanks are thick and run 150-180 mm to the first leaf joint. A verasatile variety that can be used in cooking and it has a mild enough flavour to be used raw in salads. 300 seeds.
A tough, hardy French heirloom that grows vigorously even in very cold climates. The tender creamy-white stems can grow to 5 cm in diameter and 20 cm high, so plenty of produce to work with in the kitchen. The blue-green leaves are attractive and quite tender so can also be used for flavour or garnish in soups, salads, stews. 150 seeds.
A thick white-stemmed heirloom from Scotland. This variety is very hardy with a sweet onion flavour and green foliage. Sow mid-summer to ensure a reliable harvest all through winter. A tasty vegetable for soups and stews. When cooked leeks are creamy and sweeter than onions. 300 seeds.
A popular variety for market gardeners and home gardeners. With a sweet onion flavour this variety is suited to a number of dishes. White stems with a yellow heart grows to 25-35 cm long, some bulbing at the base. Can be overwintered in areas with frosts to -4˚C. 150 seeds.
A 19th century French heirloom leek (aka Bleu de Solaise) with beautiful deep blue-green leaves that intensify through the winter. A rare variety with strong stalks and a great flavour. Used in potage gardens due to their ornamental and fine eating qualities. An extremely cold hardy variety that can be eaten through winter into spring. 150 seeds.
A leek renowned for its flavour and long whitish-green cylindrical stems. Early to medium maturing that can be harvested through autumn and winter. Versatile in the kitchen with a mild sweet flavour. A very tall variety that allows plenty of stem for use in the kitchen. 400 seeds. Not to WA.