Leek — Vegetables

Allium ampeloprasum

Full sun, moderate watering — fully hardy.

Sow: Mar
Plant out: Jun
Harvest: Nov
In flower: Jun, Jul, Aug

Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Difficulty: Easy
Hardiness: H6
Season: summer
Height: 50–100 cm
Spacing: 50 cm
Pets: Toxic to pets
Bee friendly: Bee friendly
Native: Native

Grows well with

Beetroot — Leeks are listed as a poor neighbour for beetroot, so keep them out of the same row.Swiss Chard — Chard between the leek rows is suggested against allium leaf miner. A trial found less damage but not reliably so, and the chard cut the leek crop by more than two thirds - it costs you more than it saves.Potato — Leeks are named as a good neighbour for potatoes. The thinking is that mixed planting lets different crops help each other, partly because their scent puts feeding pests off.

Growing notes

Grows to 0.5-1 metres. Space about 10-50cm apart. In flower Jun-Aug.

Toxic to pets

Leeks belong to the onion family and damage the red blood cells of a dog or cat, raw or cooked, so keep leeks and any scraps or peelings out of reach. The record lists no hazard to people. If a pet eats any, contact a vet straight away.

→ Your vet or the Animal PoisonLine