Leek - Carentan

(Allium ampeloprasum porrum) - Certified Organic Seed

A European heirloom leek variety, with thick stems up to 5cm wide with dark green leaves, fast and prolific grower. Mild flavour, perfect for cooking with. Mature in roughly 100 days. Handles frosts and is best sown early Autumn through to Spring. Likes deep, fertile, moist soil.

How to Grow

Leeks are slow growing when young so it is recommended to start them late summer in pots or punnets to get a head start. Depending on the temperatures in your region sowing from March-April is ideal. Use a high quality seed raising mix, sow your seeds and cover with 3mm of soil and keep moist until germinated. Choose a fertile position in your garden rich in organic matter. Transplant to the garden at 5-10cm tall and mulch to suppress weeds.

Although blanching is not necessary but you can do so for a more tender stem. Once your plants are 20-30cm tall you can blanch for 3 weeks prior to harvesting for a whiter, softer stem. Blanching is a simple process that restricts light getting to the stalks causing the plant to quickly elongate with soft new growth. To blanch simply wrap the lower 2/3 of the plant in 3-4 layers of newspaper so the top of the plant in the only part exposed to the sun. This can also be achieved with a used milk carton that has had the bottom and top of the carton cut out - Simply slip the carton over the plant for the same affect. 

Sow autumn-spring in pots then transplant to the garden at 5-10cm high

Seed packet contains approx. 140 seeds

350 seeds/gram.

100 days to harvest

Uses

Leaves can be harvested for use in salads or stir frys but typically the whole plant is harvested for various dishes from soups, stir frys, pies etc.