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| Spring of 2005 I planted several hundred leek seeds in a "nursery" area about 12 inches by 12 inches in my garden. I let them get around 6 inches tall before I prick out the best looking ones and plant my large row of leeks. Well, I was too busy to do anything with the nursery area, so it stayed alive all summer, even tho they rarely got watered and did not get very tall, as they were all bunched together.
This spring, 2006, I thought I had torn all the little guys in the nursery out, knowing that they had vernalized over the winter and would only want to go to seed. So I mercilessly tore what I could out of the ground, ripping off the above ground portions of the rest. Now I need the small area for part of my Babbington leek bed, and upon digging, I find all these Leek Sets, just like onions sets you might purchase in a store. Can I somehow store these for leek plants next year, or will they want to flower when they grow? Can they be refrigerated to any advantage? Just what are these sets good for? There was the rare bulbil noted on a set, but 99% of these little guys look like sets. |
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| Store them. Same as garlic or onions. Cook with them like shallots. Plant them and harvest before they go to seed. Let them go to seed and when stalk is dry, you will have more little sets/bulbs (and seed) to store and plant again. I'm on the third year from original seed. Works great here. |
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| I'd trade some for other things you want. And be sure not to plant the leek anywhere near your elephant garlic - or ornamental Allium - as they can look very much alike - and that can cause uncertainty about exactly what to pull for cooking as an actual Leek.. You'll also be unsure about which to mulch/blanch for more tender white Leek stems. |
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