Surfer – Organic (F1) Leek Seed

New! Organic fall leek with rust tolerance.
An upright, medium-long leek with blue-green foliage that is very easy to strip and clean. Cold hardy to facilitate fall harvest. Stores well. Bred for organic systems. Intermediate resistance to common rust. Organically grown. Avg. 169,300 seeds/lb. Packet: 50 seeds.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:Allium porrum
CULTURE: A large, upright, non-bulbing type of Allium. Matures to long, thick, blanched shanks topped with 1-1 1/2" wide flat leaves. Leeks are heavy feeders and require fertile soil (pH of 6.2-6.8) for best results.
GROWING SEEDLINGS: Sow in flats in Feb.-March, 1/4" apart, 1/4" deep. Transplant to 1 1/2" plug flats when large enough to handle, or start in plug flats, thinning to one plant per cell.
TRANSPLANTING: Beginning in late spring, when approx. 8" tall and pencil-thick, transplant outdoors 6" apart, rows 24" apart in holes dibbled about 6" deep. Only 1-2" of leaves need to extend above the soil surface. Do not firm soil – allow irrigation or rain to fill in the dibble hole.
DIRECT SEEDING: Sow in early spring, 6 seeds/ft., 1/4- 1/2" deep, in rows 24" apart. Thin to 6".
BLANCHING: During the growing period hill the plants with soil 2 or 3 times, higher with each hoeing. This forces the leaves higher up the plant resulting in extra long blanched stalks and a much greater edible portion. When using the "dibble method," hilling is reduced or eliminated.
HARVEST: When plants reach desired size, loosen with a spading fork and lift plant.
STORAGE: Clean leeks and store several weeks at near freezing in a humid cooler in boxes, or store in a root cellar with roots in moist soil/sand/peat mix.
DAYS TO MATURITY: From transplanting; add 20-30 days if direct seeding.
AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE: 1,000 seeds/165′, 1 oz./1,650′, 11 oz. or 105M/acre at 6 seeds/ft. in rows 30" apart.
TRANSPLANTS: Avg. 1 oz./6,000 plants, 1 lb./96,000.
SEED SPECS: SEEDS/OZ.: 7,700-10,700 (avg. 9,400).
PACKET: 250 seeds, sows 38-40′ or 140 transplants unless otherwise noted.