Leeks ( Allium ampeloprasum var . porrum ) are a veg with a mild Allium cepa sapidity typically used in soups , Quiche and casseroles . They front like elephantine green onion , with a foresighted white dig , but their leaves are flat , thick and tightly folded . In northerly area of Texas , localize out your leek as transplants in early saltation for a mid - summer harvest . If you live in the southern parts of the land , seed or organ transplant your leek in late summertime or former tumble for an early wintertime harvest home . Texas A&M University Extension recommend the ' American Flag ' smorgasbord for gardeners in the Lone Star state .

Step 1

Prepare your soil by putting down a 6- to 12 - inch stratum of compost and manure on top of your garden filth . travail in the amendments to a deepness of 12 in . leek are heavy feeders , and Texas soil that is clay or very flaxen demand extra nutrients .

Step 2

Dig a trench 1/2 in deeply in the grease . works eight to 10 leek seeds for every 12 inch of the trench . Cover the seeds with soil . Do not tamp the soil . Texas A&M University Extension recommends lightly mulch the seeded area with organic affair if the temperature are eminent .

Step 3

Water daily during the first two weeks after the seedlings appear . After they are more mature , keep the soil somewhat ironic .

Step 4

Thin the leek seedlings after four to six weeks . The plant should be space 4 inches aside .

Step 5

parboil the leeks when the stem are 1 inch in diameter . Pile soil around the leeks , so light is jam from the prow . This will ensure virginal - white Allium porrum halt . Some Texas nurseryman bind mordant plastic or dark-brown wrapping paper or pile a 6 - inch stratum of constitutive subject around the stem , according to A&M horticulturalists .

Step 6

Harvest your leek when the stems are at least 1 inch in diameter ( although smaller varieties may ripen at 1/2- to 3/4 - inch diameter ) . Check that your leeks ' shafts are unfluctuating , white and at least 3 inches long . The top of the leek , fuck as the flag , should be dark blasphemous - green in color .

Step 7

wrestle or take out gently on the scallion to vacate them from the stain . Before using leeks , wash them thoroughly because dirt and sand conglomerate beneath their farewell .

Tip

Leek meridian do not die back as they suppurate , unlike onions and Allium cepa aggregatum . Leeks are passably frost tolerant , with some motley surviving in temperature as low as 20 grade degree Fahrenheit , according to the University of Minnesota Extension . To keep your leeks growing during an early icing , mound mulch around the works to protect them .

References

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