Allium ampeloprasum
Leek
Common names: Winter leek
Photo: Roger Culos · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
Leek is the winter vegetable par excellence: hardy cultivars stand in the bed into February and are cut fresh when little else grows. Its mild onion flavour refines soups and stews, and as a neighbour it keeps the carrot fly away.
Care instructions
Sow from February indoors and plant the pencil-thick young plants deep into planting holes from May. Hill the plants up several times so the shaft stays long and white. Water evenly and give a nitrogen feed in summer; winter leek survives frost down to about -12 °C and is harvested as needed.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Mar–Aug
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Offsets
Companion planting
Good neighbors
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Umbellifers and alliums confuse each other's pests (carrot fly, onion fly).
For example DillParsleyCarrot fennelCorianderCarawayFennel and 16 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
rose family (Rosaceae)
You can plant garlic and chives under strawberries and roses; their scent repels aphids and other pests.
For example AppleRaspberryClimbing rosePearAroniaBlackberry and 52 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed Culture Practice
Rather not
legume family (Fabaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example Red CloverRed CloverWhite CloverSweet PeaLupineWisteria and 19 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Onions slow down the growth of nightshade family plants next to potatoes and tomatoes; the classic crop-rotation rule also applies in the bed side by side.
For example PotatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberryChili and 8 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For signed-in gardeners
Sign in to see symptoms, severity, season and prevention for every one of your plants.
Free account, set up in 30 seconds.
Varieties
4 varieties‘Blaugrüner Winter’
A robust winter leek, *‚Blaugrüner Winter’*, with striking blue‑green, almost leaf‑like foliage and medium‑length, firm stalks.
‘Carentan 2’
This French classic, *‚Carentan 2’*, carries you through the winter: short, thick stalks with dark green, blue-green tinged leaves.
‘Elefant’
The *‚Elefant’* is a robust-growing summer and autumn variety that lives up to its name: long, thick stalks and bright green foliage.
‘Hannibal’
A high yielding autumn and early winter variety with long, even shanks and vigorous growth.
Notes from real gardens
What other gardeners have written down about this variety, anonymous and voluntary.
No notes shared yet. Will you be the first to write one down?