Transplant date for leeks?

I'm growing leeks for the first time in my Northern Westchester NY garden (Zone 6B) and am confused by conflicting information about raising them. Reading seed catalogues, other forums etc they all say that leeks are frost tolerant but some sources say to plant the seeds 8-10 weeks before last frost date and to transplant them out as soon as the ground can be worked in early spring, which makes sense. Yet I have seen other sources that say to transplant 2 weeks after the last frost date. There's a big difference between these two dates.
Any input on this subject would be welcome. The variety I have is King Richard and I was planning on planting the seeds this weekend indoors.

Me too! Have tried leeks several times- skinniest, scrawniest little plants you've ever seen.

What's the secret?

Frank

I've always heard that they are hard to grow from seeds. so last year I bought slips and planted them out in April. They did fabulously. (IN fact, WAY more than I needed, and that after giving a thrid of them away!)

Hopefully f-dill or shoe will drop by with better for we novices!

Here's what I copied from Seeds of Change for onions. I would think the leeks would be the same, no?

Fortunately onions are easy to grow, although growing mature onions from seed does require a bit of a commitment. Since they take up to five months to mature from seed, in the northern temperate zone onions are usually planted indoors in late January or February, then transplanted into the garden four to six weeks before frosts cease in the spring, when the starts are about ten weeks old.

Sow the seeds in a fertile seed-starting mix about three-eighths inch deep and half an inch apart. They will germinate over a broad range of temperatures (45–85 degrees F), so they shouldn't need any special treatment other than to be kept moist. If you are using cell trays, you can start a half dozen or more per cell and divide them at transplanting. As light levels are low early in the season, you may choose to provide supplemental light to get robust starts. Feeding every two-to-three weeks with a dilute liquid organic fertilizer also helps produce the healthiest seedlings. If the seedlings get leggy, they can be trimmed to four inches long with no ill effects.

Preparing Beds and Transplanting

Onions prefer well-drained, fertile loam with a neutral to slightly acid pH but will thrive in most soils if worked deeply with compost or other organic matter. If you have poorly drained soils, creating raised beds can also be helpful. Transplant hardened-off starts about four-to-seven inches apart depending on the variety, much closer for bunching onions. Even when growing larger storage or sweet onions, you can plant them closer and harvest the thinnings for green onions. If you want full-size bulbs though, just remember to thin, whether you want the green onions or not. Tighter spacing will produce smaller bulbs, which some gardeners prefer. It's fun to experiment and see how various spacings affect bulb size and shape. Side dress or fertilize with a nitrogen-rich liquid organic fertilizer during vigorous leaf growth, then again during bulb formation.

Weeds and Water

Since onions are a shallow-rooted crop, they don't compete well with weeds. They also need to have consistent soil moisture to produce nice bulbs. Preparing and watering your bed a week or two in advance, then lightly cultivating just before you transplant, can go a long way towards controlling the first flush of weeds. Drip irrigation can also help by directing water to the plants and not the weeds. Drip systems also conserve water and help prevent foliar diseases, which can be spread by splashing water. Once the crop becomes established, a moderate mulch should be adequate to control the weeds and maintain soil moisture in most climates. Check under the mulch occasionally to see if additional irrigation is required.

kiwiken,

"Reading seed catalogues, other forums etc they all say that leeks are frost tolerant but some sources say to plant the seeds 8-10 weeks before last frost date and to transplant them out as soon as the ground can be worked in early spring, which makes sense. Yet I have seen other sources that say to transplant 2 weeks after the last frost date. There's a big difference between these two dates."

Leeks are definitely frost tolerant, even "freeze tolerant" once they are established. However, by starting the seeds in a protected area (especially during Winter) is a suggested method in an effort to give you sets (young seedlings) for you to harden off and set out once they are of a good size. Otherwise, sowing the seed directly in the ground (8-10 weeks before last frost) will slow down their germination or allow the seed to rot. In other words, if you want to start leeks from seeds during the Winter it is best to start them indoors or at least in a cold frame or the like.

As for "transplant after the frost date", that refers to the plants themselves, not as a time to sow seeds. So, if you have sown seeds earlier and then have young seedlings, then "after the frost date" is a good time to set them out into your garden. At that point they'll be in a safe mode and will take off with new growth and very little setback due to transplanting.

By the way, King Richard is a good one. And yes, I'd start them now in your zone. When the plants are the size of a pencil (diameter) then you can set them out into your garden, preferably in a trench, so you can hill them up as they grow. ( It wouldn't hurt if you topped the plants by half, using a pair of scissors.) For leeks a slow release nitrogen (compost, alfalfa, aged manure) is good but also I'd add some potassium (granite dust or greensand), or if your soil is not too acidic then wood ashes will do you justice. I really think a foliar feed of fish emulsion does them justice every 3 weeks or so, too!

Hope this helps. Ahhh yess...leeks. Leek and tater soup!. Leeks stir fried in olive oil with misc veggies! Braised/broiled leeks with parsesian cheese! (my favorite!) Ain't nuttin' better for ya!!

Shoe

i grow leeks from seeds i start in a window box then transplant when about 8 inches high i all so cut off about 4 inches of the top helps the root to grow better Paul H