How to Harvest and Store Leeks

Learn how to harvest mature leeks from your garden, and how to prepare them for storage.

[@paulanix7561]

A friend gave me last year jumbo garlic. All spring I watched this massive garlic plant. Went to pull out, it was a leek!!!!😂 I had lost track of what I planted. To this day I do not remember planting leeks!!! Thank you for your help.

[@shotjohnny]

Most people in the west usually don't use the dark green ends of the leeks, but there are plenty of people (and cultures) that DO use the dark green ends of leeks to cook with. Those parts actually contain the most amount of calcium and iron. Just FYI. Look for a leek chips recipe online for example. That's a good way to starting eating the green ends of the leeks instead of throwing them away. : )

[@shotjohnny]

Wow... well, if you are a hard-core "shake-maker" ... and don't mind the raw leek taste, then you can do that for sure. In that case, I would just suggest to chop them into smaller pieces because leeks are pretty fibrous - especially the dark ends - so they might be difficult to liquefy to a shake unless you have a high-performance blender. The dark ends are also great in things like "potato-leek soup" if you are into that sort of thing. Cook them together with a handful of potatoes in plenty of water and with a bit of salt ... then blend everything together and... voila! You have a delicious, creamy potato-leek soup. : )

[@Gardenerd]

Thank you for the tip! Good know that it can be added as extra advice.

[@ievabunte5035]

we do use all parts and green tops are so tasty.

[@NikkiSarinoPada]

asians use everything but the roots

[@buhkangliwayway]

Yes I kind of shocked they don’t use them

[@shooter322005]

I am growing my first leeks in the garden....Thank you for this great instructional video....and I love you now........ :)

[@pignmooseFD]

This was great! To the point and informative. Thanks a whole lot 😊

[@blacksheep1222]

Love love love when they get to the point and not try to entertain people 😂

[@nanmariegy64]

Thank you for the information! This is my first year for growing leeks and they are beautiful. I wasn't sure when to harvest them. I guess some are ready now. Yeah!!!

[@Gardenerd]

Congrats on growing leeks! How did the harvest turn out?

[@darrenhealy1724]

Liked your vid on leeks I'm in Queensland Australia any hints where coming into summer high humidity lots of rain Cheers Darren 2:16

[@debiegordon3787]

Just found ya! Yes that's exactly how I grew them , from supermart after cooking w them! They are huge & made a gorg white flower too! TQ for info🌾🌾🌾

[@jenniferrourk6403]

I eat all of it. We sauté or put it in soup! All good, nothing wasted in a big family ❤

[@countryside_guy]

The green part is delicious, use it!

[@Gardenerd]

Davezak, believe it or not, this morning's upload is all about harvesting compost, so you'll get a mini tour of our composting system at Gardenerd. Hope you enjoy it!

[@edwardsemily5147]

Great video with to the point info! Answered my main question of how do you know if your leeks are ready to harvest? Thank you!

[@Gardenerd]

I'm glad the video helped! :)

[@BayouChicGardening]

You out here doing God’s work Sis, cuz I just be regrowing organic stuff from the market that I wasn’t raised up on.

[@Gardenerd]

Yay! Whatever works, Bayou Chic. Regrowing is real, and fun. I definitely plant the rooted white parts of green onions from the market. They make really sturdy plants that last a long time if you just harvest the green parts. Mine last about 4-5 months before having to pull them. Keep growing!

[@annmcnitt8749]

My last two rows of onions in the garden aren't; they're leeks! Thank you for the help!

[@RaisingCreativity]

Hey Christy, wondering if you can add a video to your 'videos to make' list? - id love you to explain your compost set-up behind you :) thanks for the podcasts and videos.

[@mikeswapp6538]

So leeks can be pulled and used from a sprout to mammoth sized leeks. Each size has a little bit different taste. When they are 1” and under the green part is just as yummy as the white. When they get bigger the green does become fibrous. Leeks are sooooo good.

[@Gardenerd]

I couldn't agree more.

[@SherryBrubakerPollock]

Thanks for that info, Mike. Prepping for this season, I found (4) under 1" in a planter that I used for leeks, onions and shallots last year. I wasn't sure which I had until I googled the photo. Glad I don't have to wait until the leeks fully mature to use them; I have other plans for that pot this year.

[@joycewills895]

Thank you for posting.

[@Gardenerd]

Thank you for watching. Happy gardening Joyce!

[@DonnaHoiland]

Can you use the green Topps like you would use chives?

[@bethbilous4720]

How long do they take from planting small plants to harvest??? Like if i put them in now May 14 when we they be ready?

[@Gardenerd]

There are a number of factors that determine growth rate. The varieties each have there own "days to maturity" rating. If you are planting from seed, it will say on the seed packet how long it will take. Leeks take a long time, so be patient. About 100-120 days from germination. From transplants you can shave about 30 days off that number.

[@BrightestBlessings7899]

How thin do they need to be cut for the best dehydration? I grew them, here in Malakwa BC, this first year and I have frozen some, but now there are 14 big girls to go!

[@Gardenerd]

I have sliced them about 1/4" thin to dehydrate them. Thicker means longer drying time, so thinner is better. I also popped out the centers of each slice to dry separately. they dry more quickly that way.

[@DonnaHoiland]

Can you dehydrate the green tops after you have washed, dried and chopped them up as you do with chives?

[@Gardenerd]

You could. Several people have mentioned that they eat the tops as well as the white parts. give it a go!

[@sandymathers1392]

Put the green leaves into soup perfect

[@richardlove4287]

Hi, loved your video, thanks. One question please , how did you get your leek shanks so white without having them in the ground? Cheers!

[@Gardenerd]

HI Richard, sorry it took me so long to see this comment. We plant our leeks pretty close together so the leaves block out a lot of the sun. We plant them on 3" centers (or 3" apart). I guess that worked for us. Otherwise it must have been luck!

[@markkristynichols845]

First video and I subscribed BEFORE you said your name! Kristy in Missouri 😃

[@Gardenerd]

Thanks for subbing!

[@jaclyngolds]

You’re awesome!

[@Ebaby357]

Hello..im a new gardener and I have leeks in containers...they are about scallion size right now and the leaves are really long and limp hanging over the sides of the containers. .are they going to grow upright again ?

[@Gardenerd]

erica Ebaby HI Erica, it sounds like they need more water, but it's hard to tell without more information. I'm guessing you tried that already, right? It could be root rot nematodes in the soil, or possibly a pest like onion fly or leek moth (which you would find if you look down the center of the plant for white fuzzy bugs or caterpillars). If the leaves are changing color it could be rust or a couple other diseases. Let us know more about the symptoms and what you see.

[@林雯翎-y8k]

kutie2yu ebaby

[@bethbilous4720]

How deep does my container have to be to grow successful leeks?

[@Gardenerd]

We usually recommend a soil depth of at least 12" to grow any veggie. Some are okay in 10" or 8" at the least, but the larger your container, the less often it needs to be fed and the better it will hold moisture and nutrients. Leeks send out roots in all directions rather than straight down, so give them plenty of room.

[@ariannemainlandford4145]

Thanks you that was helpful

[@Diniecita]

The green end is still yummy. Needs more cooking but still good food. No need to waste it.

[@Gardenerd]

True. We usually have to cut off all the rust on our alliums, but if they are not covered in disease, definitely eat them.

[@RaisingCreativity]

oh wonderful :)

[@ALL4TRUTHANDFREEDOM]

The green end is and can be used

[@kapalmuks9251]

we use the leaf of leeks for kimchi

[@Gardenerd]

Cool. You might want to listen to our newest podcast (Posted today) with John Jeavons. He has a leek growing tip near the end that is pretty awesome. Check it out here: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gardenerd-tip-of-the-week/id275458204?mt=2

[@SherryBrubakerPollock]

Great tip! I'll have to tell my mom before she harvests any of her leeks. Do you use them from any size leek or just the younger, more tender ones?

[@ginaho616]

It’s insanely wasteful that people in the US just discard the dark green parts??? 😱

[@Gardenerd]

Gina Ho, I hear you and I agree. Since shooting this video I've started following a Low FODMAP lifestyle that uses leek tops but not the popular white part. I've learned how delicious and versatile they can be. I use the greens, hubbie uses the whites. That said, in our household, nothing is wasted, because scraps either go to the compost bin, the worm bin (not onions though), the chickens, or the biogas digester. No food scraps should ever go in the landfill.

[@safi456]

This is terrible. First you destroy the roots when all you had to do is cut the leek about an inch from the bottom and replant it; then you cut off all the green which is perfectly usable 🤦

[@Gardenerd]

Of course you can use the cut and come again method for growing leeks, but most small-space gardeners need the space back for new crops. We interplant green onions all over the garden and cut them down and they come back for several months. Eventually, however (and this is to address your second point), the tops become consumed with rust, despite good crop rotation and fungal-dominant compost tea applications. So it's important to get those out of the garden as soon as rust appears.

[@ladaminuetkittens5216]

This what you show is really very wasteful. Cut the leek above the ground and keep all the roots there to grow. Slice the leek withALL green leaves , fry it on olive oils, than blend it with submerge blender and use it for all kind of soups. Makes great broccoli soup, potato or onion soup, or with some half and half mixed with egg talk - even a very nice creamy leek soup.

[@Gardenerd]

Great idea. We get rust on all our alliums here, so we can't use the greens. But for those who don't yes, definitely use all the parts.

[@billgavin3606]

You’re a beautiful woman- a bit distracting from the leeks 😉