Freshly dug leeks with white shanks and roots.
Photo: pamsai, 200K views, thank you · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons From the 1600×1200 original, scaled to 640×480 and re-encoded as WebP (quality 75); metadata removed.

Leek

Allium ampeloprasum

About it

Kind
Vegetables · Annual
Family
Amaryllidaceae
Hardiness zones
Zones 3–10
Sun
Full sun
Spacing
6 in apart, rows 12 in
Soil depth in a pot
At least 12 in
Soil pH
6–7.5
Water
About every 4 days

When to plant

Start indoors
12 weeks before planting out
Plant out
Plant out 4 weeks before the last frost
Soil temperature
Germinates from 40°F
Ready
About 120 days from sowing

Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.

Varieties people grow

  • American Flag— old autumn leek; also sold as Broad London
  • Blue Solaise— French heirloom with blue leaves; very cold hardy
  • King Richard— long pale summer leek; not for overwintering
  • Lancelot— autumn leek with a short, thick shaft

Planting partners

No cited companion planting notes for Leek yet.

Safety for pets and children

  • Cats No information in our sources
  • Dogs No information in our sources
  • Horses No information in our sources
  • Children No information in our sources

"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease notes for Leek yet.

Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.

Where this comes from

  • family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Allium ampeloprasum L.
  • maturity counted from cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ Row's 120 days (UMN) is NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's S=120-150, not T=50-80; CSU #720 (Colorado) leeks 120 unmarked
  • maturity counted from NC State Extension ↗ Row's 120 days (UMN) is NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's S=120-150, not T=50-80; CSU #720 (Colorado) leeks 120 unmarked
  • min soil temp f cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) Table 1: leeks germination minimum 40°F
  • Most facts UMN Extension ↗ Backfilled by 0041. Pre-0041 rows recorded one source for the whole row; per-field attribution was never captured and is not invented here.
  • transplant weeks rel last frost extension.unh.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) table: leek 4 weeks before last frost (a single week, so no window)

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