Leeks 'Sheriff' (Leeks)

Choose a location that has not had any other onion family grown there for at least 3 years. It should be well-drained and weed free. Intercrop leeks with your early-harvest leafy greens. Raised beds also work well for leeks. Direct seeding should occur 4 weeks before expected last frost. Sow seeds ½ inch (1 cm) deep in 20 inch (50 cm) rows approximately an inch (2.5 cm) apart. Later thin to 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm). Mound soil gradually around the base of plants as the leeks grow to prevent rotting or cut a paper towel roll to size and place around plants. Long season varieties will perform best if started indoors. Transplants should be sown 8 to 10 weeks before last frost in flats ¼ inch apart and ½ inch deep ( 6 mm deep and 1 cm apart). Seedlings can then either be potted up into cells when they are 2 inches (5 cm) tall or just gently separated from one another for transplanting. Transplant as soon as frost is over and plants are 6 to 12 inches tall (15 - 30 cm), planting hardened-off plants deeply so that only a few inches of leaf shows above the soil. This will have the same effect as mounding to blanch. Plants require weekly water in dry weather as they are shallow rooted and dry out quickly. Mulch to maintain moisture and prevent weeds.