BC Living
How to Support BC Wineries Now
Embark on Culinary Adventures: 5 Must-Try Solo Dining Experiences Around BC
You Gotta Try this in April 2024
4 Tips on Balancing a Nutritious Diet with a Side of Indulgence
Choosing Connection: A BC Family Day Pledge to Prioritize Presence Over Plans
Embracing Plant-Based Living this Veganuary and Beyond
Inviting the Steller’s Jay to Your Garden
6 Budget-friendly Holiday Decor Pieces
Dream Home: $8 Million for a Modern Surprise
Protected: Spring into Fun in Kamloops: The Best Events in the City
Travel Light, Travel Right: Minimalist Packing Tips for Solo Explorers
A Solo Traveller’s Guide to Cozy Accommodations
Melodies and Museums: Solo-Friendly Entertainment for the Independent Traveller
Arts Club Theatre Company Celebrates 60 Years
Films and TV Series that Inspire Solo Travel
8 Gadgets and Gear for Your Solo Adventures
A Solo Traveller’s Guide to Souvenir Hunting in BC
Sḵwálwen Botanicals – Changing the Face of Skincare
Q: How do I go about collecting seeds from my leeks for next year, and when do I start them off?
Considered “the gourmet’s onion,” savoury leeks are a long-season crop best started in flats in March and planted out at 20 cm (8 in.) tall.
Leeks continue to grow through fall and can be harvested anytime through to the next spring. Mulch in cold areas. For tender, white leeks, blanche them by planting in a 15 cm (6 in.) trench, topping up the soil as they grow. Leeks can be a dramatic backdrop in ornamental gardens, and also work well with all vegetables except beans, which are inhibited by the onion family.
Here’s some helpful advice from Carolyn Herriot, our “Zero-Mile Diet” columnist, on harvesting seeds from leeks:
Onions and leeks (Liliaceae family) are biennial plants that set seed in the second year. They are cross pollinated by tiny insects, so to maintain varietal purity it’s important that no other alliums are flowering within 1.6 km (1 mile)! Seeds develop in small inflorescences on large globular seedheads and require patience for ripening, they can take a long time.
TIP: Do the squeeze test before harvesting – if they are squishy they are still maturing. I take leek seedheads that developed around April off around the end of September. I leave them on the top shelf of the greenhouse to thoroughly dry. I then cut the seeds off with sharp scissors and rub them between gloved hands to remove the chaff. The strong onion smell makes my eyes water! These seeds are then screened to remove debris. Allium seeds have a short shelf-life (viability) – one year, two at the most, so it’s good to let some plants go to seed every year.