Soft shoots rise each year from clusters of small bulbs, spicy when eaten raw, and the seeds of its flowers make a condiment boiled in vinegar. Perennial leek (Allium polyanthum) stands in for ordinary leek in any recipe; give it sun and cool, well-draining soil, and it comes back unaided year after year.
| Botanical name | Allium polyanthum |
|---|---|
| Common names | Wild leek, perennial leek, many-flowered garlic |
| Family | Alliaceae |
| Type | Perennial vegetable |
| Height | 1 foot (30 cm) |
| Exposure | Sun to part shade |
| Soil | Any type, cool but well-draining |
| Planting distance | 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm) |
| Sowing | Spring or fall |
| Harvest | Early fall → end of spring |
This is a species of leek that grows in the wild but can be cultivated. Much less famous than its cousin, domesticated leek, perennial leek has the advantage of growing back on its own every year. It doesn’t require much time to grow and plant, too. Here, you’ll discover all about this perennial vegetable and its delicious, soft shoots.
Perennial leek favors sun, but also does fine in only part sun. Moreover, since it doesn’t really care what type of soil it grows in, there isn’t anything special to do upon planting. It truly deserves a spot in your vegetable patch!
There are two ways of planting this particular Allium: splitting offshoots which are side bulbs that appear near the main stem, and simply purchasing it in stores where it often comes in nursery pots.
Planting offshoots takes place from late summer up to the end of Winter. What you do is to set the wild leek bulbs up in clusters of 4 or 5 shoots. The tip should point upwards and they only need be buried 2 inches (5 cm) deep. Space clusters be around 10 inches (25 cm), a bit less than a foot. This will give them space to grow without competing with each other.
This technique is possible all year round, except for Summer and those days in Winter when the ground is frozen up. Open up the clump, gently teasing it apart so you don’t tear any roots, and place it in a hole about 4 to 6 inches deep (10 to 15 cm). Backfill the hole and press the soil tightly around the bulbs. Planting distance is the same as above, a bit under one foot (25 cm).
One of the advantages of wild leek is the care it requires: not much time is needed. Indeed, once it’s well settled in, it won’t require anything specific. It won’t be necessary to water, except in case of a prolonged dry spell. A good tip is to ridge your perennial leek stems twice during the season, high enough to cover half the stem each time. Thanks to ridging, the stems stay upright. It also protects the bulbs from freezing.
After a few years, you’ll notice stems grow thinner. This means you need to rejuvenate the bulbs if you want to keep harvests at a reasonable level. To do so, pull the bulbs out and separate all the offshoots, which you can plant back into the ground as described above. The best timing for this is during the dormant phase. For this vegetable, it comes at an unusual time: the middle of Summer.
Luckily, unlike its domesticated cousins, wild leek isn’t an interesting host for leek moth. However, it is sometimes targeted by the allium leaf miner. The only way to protect against this foe is to wrap a net around your crops. It may also help to sow carrot in alternate rows.
The harvest season for wild leek extents from the beginning of Fall to the end of Spring.
If you’ve planted offshoots, the first harvest can take place after 10 weeks. It takes longer for specimens planted from nursery pots since they require 3 to 6 months. Generally, only harvest once you feel the many-flowered garlics are properly settled in.
After this time when harvest is possible, the plant enters dormancy: leaves turn yellow and dry up, disappearing as time passes.
To harvest, you shouldn’t pull the bulb out. Simply remove mulch and soil around the base of the stem, and cut it off cleanly just above the bulb. Ideally, you would only collect what you need for the next few days. The base will sprout new leaves from its center that you can harvest again 2-3 months later.
If ever you’ve picked too many, place your stems in the refrigerator where they’ll keep for a good 10 days. To savor its delicious taste during summer, you can also freeze the stems: slice them and blanch them in boiling water for an instant.
Perennial leek asks for very little, but the few jobs it does need each fall at their own moment. Here is when each one happens and what it involves.
| Job | When | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Planting offshoots | Late summer to the end of winter | Clusters of 4 or 5 bulbs, tips upwards, 2 inches (5 cm) deep |
| Planting from nursery pots | All year except summer and frozen spells | Tease the clump apart, plant 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) deep |
| Ridging | Twice during the season | Cover half the stem each time to keep stems upright |
| Rejuvenating the bulbs | Middle of summer, the dormant phase | Lift, split and replant once stems grow thinner |
| Harvesting | Beginning of fall to the end of spring | Cut cleanly just above the bulb, leaving it in the ground |
Leave the bulbs in place and the same clump will feed you for years.
If you’re already familiar with annual leek, you won’t find perennial leek very difficult. You substitute it for any recipe that calls for regular leek: soup, cream chowder, raw with a dash of vinegar, in stews… no limits for this vegetable!
Perennial leek stems are much slimmer than those of cultivated leek, so check them early in the pan and adjust the cooking time if you want them to keep some bite.
Grit collects between the tightly wrapped leaf bases, so split the stems lengthwise and rinse them under running water before slicing.
In Europe, perennial leek is often found in the wild growing in vineyards. Such findings are a great treat and ensure dinner will be tasty!
