sowing leek ( Allium ampeloprasum Porrum )
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Crop group: Leafy crop |
Crop family : Onion family |
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Well-known varieties : Summer leek: Bulgarian Giants , Autumn leek: Autumn Giants Hannibal , Autumn Carentan , Winter leek: Blue-green Winter Liège, Hiverbleu , |
Sowing depth: 0.5-1 cm
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Height : 30-60 cm |
Sowing distance: sow thinly to transplant later. In pot (spring leek) or direct (winter leek). |
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Germination: 16°C / 10-12 days
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Planting distance : 45 cm between rows, 15 cm between plants. Summer leek: 10 cm between plants, 25 cm between rows. |
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Growth cycle : 200-255 days |
Plant out when : When the leek is 3-5 mm thick (summer leek). When the leeks are a pencil thick (winter leek) |
Cultivation method : Pre-sow - (cut the leek leaves back until the plant is about 20 cm long, you can cut the roots back to 5 cm) - plant out.
Make a groove of 15-20 cm, make holes in that groove at the planting distance above. You do this with a planting stick. You make a hole of +/- 3 cm diameter and 15 cm deep. You put the leek in it but you leave the hole open, so that the leek has room to grow. Water with water, so that mud runs into the planting hole and the roots can take hold. When the plants are big enough, you can earth up the leek with the soil from the groove. This way you get more white on the leek, the tastiest part. You harvest when the stems are 4 to 6 cm thick.
- Very early: A typical Belgian cultivation method: Sow a variety of winter leek in July, plant out in September at a planting distance of summer leek above (25x10) and harvest from May to June. In Antwerp this cultivation is called cutting leek and in West Flanders Oude Jonkmansprei.
- Summer: Sow under glass mid January-February; plant outdoors end March-May; harvest end July-October
- Early autumn: Sow under glass mid February-March; plant outdoors May-mid June; harvest September-mid November
- Late Autumn: Sow indoors in March or sow outdoors early April-mid April; transplant outdoors late May-early July; harvest mid November-December
- Winter: Sow under glass in March or sow outdoors in April; (re)plant outdoors end of May-mid July; harvest January-mid May
Leek in our webshop 
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Location: 
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Watering: 
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Good neighbors : Celery, carrot, apple
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Bad neighbors : legumes |
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Frost resistant: Yes (winter leek) |
Root system: 30-45 cm |
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Fertilization : Cow manure pellets, compost and universal pellets. !! No fresh manure because it attracts the leek fly and leek moth. Leek requires a lot of nitrogen, little phosphorus and quite a lot of potassium |
Preferred soil: pH: 6.5-7.0 This has to be very precise, otherwise you will get small leeks and also rust. |
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Dangers and concerns : leek moth and the leek or onion fly |
Harvesting and storing : With a pitchfork you can remove the 4 to 6 cm thick leeks from the ground. Do not pull the leek out of the ground by the foliage. Leeks can overwinter in the ground and be harvested as needed.
Nutritional value:
100 grams of cooked leek without salt contains:
- 31 kcal
- 0 grams of fat
- 8 grams of carbohydrates
- 1 gram of protein
- 1 gram of fiber
- 2 grams of sugar
- Vitamins: A, B6, C and K
- Other: Folic acid, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese.
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 = little sun = moderate sun  = lots of sun  = little water = moderate water  = a lot of water |
