Giant Musselburgh leek
$4.00 – $6.00
[Allium ampeloprasum]
Large, cold-hardy winter leek. Named for a town on the Firth of Forth in eastern Scotland, this leek has been around since the 1830s, and as it nears its bicentennial it remains an excellent choice.
Biennial. Start indoors eight weeks before frost-free date, the same as onions. 3 – 4 seeds per cell, 1/5” deep. Transplant when tulips start flowering. Dig a 5” deep trench, and add 1” of compost to the bottom. Make a small hole in the bottom of the trench, and bury the bottom half of the leek seedling. Space 4” apart, with 3 rows per bed in a 36” bed. Water carefully. As leeks grow, move soil back into trench in layers, and mulch. Harvest any time after leeks are larger than your thumb. Mulch for the winter and harvest as needed, or dig and replant in sand to store in the root cellar.