Leek: Jolant
A relatively modern, fast-growing variety which can be harvested early as well as standing well over winter. Leaves are mid to dark green and the shanks are strong, dense and creamy white.
Grown by Wales Seed Hub member Carolyn Moody on her One Planet smallholding in Pontyates, Wales.
Approx 200 seeds per packet.
Seed Story: The winner of our leek trials last year, we really love this modern, European variety. It’s fast growing and early, so you can start cropping in late summer, but we found it stands fantastically well over winter too as the shanks are strong and dense. It’s a great all rounder and can be used for baby leeks, as well as full size, and with its mild flavour, is super versatile in the kitchen. My husband loves them wrapped in ham, with a cheese sauce, but I like the baby ones done on the BBQ with some olive oil, lemon and black pepper.
Why not save your own seeds!? All our seeds are open pollinated, non-hybrid varieties.
See our seed saving guidelines here: Save Your Own Seeds
Growing instructions – Leeks
Like most alliums, they can be sown both indoors and out during the spring – early spring for indoor sown, and mid to late spring when the soil’s warmed up for outdoor sown. I sow mine outdoors, sprinkling the seed fairly sparingly over a prepared and watered ‘nursery’ seed bed. Cover with a fine layer of compost and maybe add a layer of fleece if your site is quite exposed, or there’s going to be a cold snap. We screw together old windows to create a micro-climate round our beds, protecting them from the spring weather. Once they’ve germinated, leave them until they’re ready to be transplanted, when they’re about 8” tall and pencil thick, probably late June / early July. Prepare their final bed by digging in plenty of organic matter, then make a row or two of 6” deep holes, spaced 8” apart. A broom handle or wrecking bar is ideal. Lift the baby leeks from their nursery bed and trim the roots and leaves. This may seem a little harsh, but prevents the roots getting tangled up round the plant when you put it in its hole, and reduced the stress on the plant as it can then concentrate on growing new, stronger roots without having to maintain lots of leaf matter. Pop a leek into each hole and fill with water to settle any loose soil around the roots. The hole itself will be much bigger than the leek at this stage, but don’t be tempted to fill it in with soil – the gap is there to encourage a nice, fat, white shank. Any leeks that are left in the nursery bed can simply be eaten. Water regularly throughout the season.
Seed grown using agroecological principles. We are licenced to sell seed and issue plant passports. Reg number: 7710.