King Richard – Leek Plants

Exclusive! Remarkable earliness and size.Offered in single-variety bunches (Units) averaging 50-60 plants each. 30 Unit quantity orders must consist of one variety; no mixing and matching. Beautiful full-sized leeks. In favorable soil and culture, the white shanks are over a foot long to the first leaf. Medium-green leaves with full habit. For baby leeks, plant closely (40 seeds/ft.) and harvest at finger size. While not hardy enough for overwintering, they will withstand medium-heavy frost (32° to 20°F/0° to -7°C) without losing their healthy appearance. Leeks are easy to grow from these field-grown, spring-dug plants. When the plants arrive as dormant starts, just separate them and transplant out. Also available in organic seed.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:Allium porrum
CULTURE: Leeks are heavy feeders and require fertile soil (pH of 6.2-6.8) for best results.
GROWING SEEDLINGS: Sow in flats in Feb.-March, 1/4" apart, 1/4" deep or start in plug flats, thinning to one plant per cell.
TRANSPLANTING: Beginning in late spring, when approx. 8" tall and pencil-thick, transplant 6" apart in rows at least 12" apart in holes dibbled 6" deep. Only 2-3" of leaves need to extend above the soil surface. Do not firm soil – allow irrigation or rain to fill in the dibble hole.
DIRECT SEEDING: Sow in early spring, 6 seeds/ft., 1/4- 1/2" deep, in rows 24" apart. Thin to 6".
BLANCHING: During the growing period hill the plants with soil 2 or 3 times, higher with each hilling. This forces the leaves higher up the plant resulting in extra-long blanched stalks and a much longer edible portion. When using the "dibble method," hilling is reduced or eliminated.
HARVEST: When plants reach desired size, loosen with a spading fork and lift plant.
STORAGE: Clean leeks and store several weeks at near freezing in a humid cooler in boxes, or store in a root cellar with roots in moist soil/sand/peat mix.
DAYS TO MATURITY: From transplanting; add 20-30 days if direct seeding.
AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE: 1,000 seeds/165′, 1 oz./1,650′, 11 oz. or 105M/acre at 6 seeds/ft. in rows 30" apart.
TRANSPLANTS: Avg. 1 oz./6,000 plants, 1 lb./96,000.
SEED SPECS: SEEDS/OZ.: 7,700-10,700 (avg. 9,400).
PACKET: 250 seeds, sows 38-40′ or 140 transplants unless otherwise noted.