How Long Does It Take a Leek to Flower?
A part of the onion family, the leek (Allium ampeloprasum) is a cool-weather vegetable normally grown from seed. Depending on the variety, leeks are slow growing, but once harvested, deliver a flavorful mild taste to cuisine. Allowing your leek to develop a flower head gives an abundance of seeds for future planting. With some leek varieties, the flower head is used for exotic food dishes and in cut flower arrangements. Does this Spark an idea?
-
Summer Leeks
-
Plant summer leek seeds in the early spring and harvest them that same growing season. The summer leek is smaller with a milder flavor than other varieties. Summer leeks are ready for harvest in 70 to 90 days after spring planting, depending on if the plant grew from seed or transplanted starters. Harvest leeks when the plant's base is approximately 1 inch in diameter. If left in the ground after maturity, the summer leek develops a flower head. Use it in cut flower arrangements or keep on the plant to form mature leek seeds.
Overwinter Leeks
-
Plant overwinter leeks for harvest the following growing season. They are larger and have a stronger flavor than summer leeks. If overwinter leeks are planted in late fall to benefit from the winter cold, harvest it at the end of the following summer. Overwinter leeks are biennial plants, taking the first year to grow and the second season to produce flowers. Overwinter leeks mature in 120 to 150 days but need the cold winter months to produce a flower head. The seeds mature slowly and are ready when they turn dark.
-
Chinese Leeks
-
Chinese leeks, also called Chinese chives, are slender and flat. They are used in many culinary dishes, particularly stir-fry. The plant is a hardy perennial that grows 12 to 18 inches high and easily starts from seed. All parts of the plant are edible. The flowers are frequently used in a number of Asian based dishes to give a garlic-onion flavor. Chinese leek plants mature in approximately 70 days, but flower heads do not develop until the second year of growth with cold winter temperatures and long summer days for flower development in the late fall of the second year.
Wild Leeks
-
Wild leeks, also called Ramps, are native to the Eastern United States and grow in moist, rich deciduous forest environments. The wild leek appears in early spring from a perennial bulb. The thin flavorful foliage is harvested and cooked, dried, pickled or eaten raw, giving dishes a strong onion taste. Wild leeks appear before overhead trees develop leaves and die back with flower stalk emerging by mid-May. The flower of blooms in mid-June with seeds developing soon after.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
