How to Grow Leeks

Not only are leeks tasty and an attractive addition to your garden, but they’re also easy seeds to grow! So if you’re looking to bring produce from your family garden into your kitchen, we strongly recommend growing these leafy plants - as members of the onion family, leeks are a welcome addition to so many of your home-made dishes! As hardy plants, varieties of leeks can survive those dreaded frosty months (even without protection!) Impressive, if you ask us.

Find out when to plant leeks and how to best take care of them here at Mr Fothergill’s. It’s time to introduce a new vegetable to your patch!

• Soil Preparation
• Sowing
• Transplanting leeks
• Plant Care
• Harvesting

When it comes to sowing your leeks, we recommend finding a warm spot in direct view of the sun. They will thrive best in well-weeded and well-drained soil that has never been used to grow anything from the onion family before. 

If you’re serious about homing your leeks in the best soil possible, they don’t do too well in very acidic soil. You can check your soil’s acidity with our very own pH meter. If your soil is below pH 6, you can add lime water into the mix to reduce its acidity!

Throw in a healthy helping of organic matter like fertiliser or manure and voila, your leeks are good to grow!

If you’re wondering when to sow leeks in the UK, the best time for outdoor sowing is March or April. You do, if there isn’t enough room in your soil, have the option to grow them in a seedbed to be transplanted later. Or if your garden has plenty of room, you can sow them into their final spot from the get-go.

We recommend sowing your leek seeds in rows about 8 inches apart and around half an inch deep.

Depending on what works best for you, you can also sow your leek seeds in May or June to enjoy harvesting in winter and spring! 

If you do choose to sow your leeks in a seedbed or plant containers, you’ll eventually need to transplant them into their final growing site once they reach around 8 inches tall. 

When transplanting, allow your leeks plenty of space to grow with around 6-8 inches between each plant. Once you’ve put your plants in the ground, we recommend filling each of the holes with water. This is a method known as ‘puddling in,’ which works to settle the soil around the plant’s roots.

Don’t worry, leeks are far from high maintenance and only require the simplest of care! As with most plants, you’re going to want to weed them regularly to maintain their health. The same goes for watering. You should water your leek seedlings regularly, but once well established, they only require watering during dry weather. 

It’s important to avoid over-watering your leek plants as they can be affected by fungal diseases which thrive in damp conditions. You should also do your bit to prevent pests from eating away at your leeks with our pest and disease control products - an insect-proof mesh is the perfect choice.

When it comes to harvesting your leek plants, the ball is in your court! Leeks are harvestable at any size. They tend to take around four months to fully establish but past that point, you can harvest them whenever you’re cooking up something special in the kitchen.

What are you waiting for? Your growing journey starts right here at Mr Fothergill’s! Shop our leek seeds today and let us help get your vegetable garden going.

If you have any further questions about ‘how to grow leeks’ or ‘when to plant leeks in the UK,’ or have any other curiosities about our other products, don’t hesitate to contact us or take a deeper dive into our gardening blog!