PlantFiles: Leek
Allium porrum 'Giant Musselburg'

So, a little known fact about Leeks is that they are *perennial*. I planted mine in an ornamental bed expecting to have food the first fall & winter with flowers the second year. I did allow them to grow too close together (pay attention to the spacing recommendations!), so their roots knit a fast bond in the soil. I had to use a hori-hori knife to cut them out! Everyone thought I was harvesting the plants for too long, and the conventional knowledge was that I should have thrown them to the compost heap much earlier. Well, I just kept an eye on them, and stopped harvesting only when they showed signs of sending up a vertical flower stalk. Apparently they will die back in fall after they flower, but then come back as an edible crop year after year if I don't pull out the roots, propagating themselves much as a bulb can! The multi-year experiment is on.

Enormous size, 9-15" long by 2-3" in diameter. Good buncher; 80-150 days from transplant.

Introduced in 1834, this popular Scottish leek is known for its large, fat, tender stalks, mild flavor, and overwintering capabilities. It does well in the North or South.