Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant leeks
Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 15 – Apr 26; Spokane Apr 15 – May 27; Boise Apr 1 – May 13; Bend May 12 – Jun 23.
Your dates in
Leeks are an onion-family vegetable grown for their long white shank instead of a bulb, with a milder, sweeter flavor than onions. They're the base of potato-leek soup and are braised, grilled or used anywhere you would use onions. Piling soil or mulch around the stems as they grow gives a longer white portion.
Puts leeks on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 6 inches apart
- Planting depth
- Set seedlings in a hole about 6 inches deep so the stems grow long and white
- Frost
- Handles light frost
- First harvest
- About 120 days after planting
Slow but nearly foolproof. West of the Cascades they stand in the garden all winter, ready to dig as you need them.
Leek planting dates
| Towns | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Jan 4–18 | Mar 15 – Apr 26 |
| Spokane, WA | Feb 4–18 | Apr 15 – May 27 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Astoria, OR | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Mar 3–17 | May 12 – Jun 23 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Jan 4–18 | Mar 15 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR | Jan 8–22 | Mar 19 – Apr 30 |
| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Eugene, OR, Salem, OR | Jan 4–18 | Mar 15 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|---|
| Cottage Grove, OR | Jan 16–30 | Mar 27 – May 8 |
| McMinnville and Newberg, OR | Jan 7–21 | Mar 18 – Apr 29 |
| Ashland and Talent, OR | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Apr 8 – May 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | Jan 4–18 | Mar 15 – Apr 26 |
| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
|---|
| Bend and Redmond, OR, Klamath Falls, OR | Mar 3–17 | May 12 – Jun 23 |
|---|---|---|
| Burns, OR | Mar 5–19 | May 14 – Jun 25 |
| Lakeview, OR | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | May 7 – Jun 18 |
| Madras, OR | Feb 10–24 | Apr 21 – Jun 2 |
| Prineville, OR | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | May 4 – Jun 15 |
| Baker City, OR | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Apr 27 – Jun 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise and Joseph, OR | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 26 – Jun 7 |
| Hermiston, OR, Hood River, OR, Ontario, OR, Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
| John Day, OR | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 30 – Jun 11 |
| La Grande, OR | Feb 4–18 | Apr 15 – May 27 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Jan 4–18 | Mar 15 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|---|
| Olympia, WA | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
| Shelton, WA | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 30 – May 11 |
| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Jan 4–18 | Mar 15 – Apr 26 |
|---|
| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA | Jan 4–18 | Mar 15 – Apr 26 |
| Sequim, WA | Jan 13–27 | Mar 24 – May 5 |
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA | Jan 14–28 | Mar 25 – May 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | Jan 4–18 | Mar 15 – Apr 26 |
| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Leavenworth, WA, Omak and Okanogan, WA | Feb 4–18 | Apr 15 – May 27 |
| Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Feb 6–20 | Apr 17 – May 29 |
| Ellensburg, WA | Feb 4–18 | Apr 15 – May 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA, Walla Walla, WA | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
| Goldendale, WA | Feb 10–24 | Apr 21 – Jun 2 |
| Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Apr 3 – May 15 |
| Yakima, WA | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Apr 10 – May 22 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA, Spokane, WA | Feb 4–18 | Apr 15 – May 27 |
|---|
| Bonners Ferry, ID, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID, Sandpoint, ID | Feb 4–18 | Apr 15 – May 27 |
|---|
| Lewiston, ID | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow, ID | Feb 4–18 | Apr 15 – May 27 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Nampa and Caldwell, ID | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – May 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Emmett, ID | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Apr 2 – May 14 |
| McCall, ID | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jul 6 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Rexburg, ID, Twin Falls, ID | Feb 4–18 | Apr 15 – May 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon, ID | Feb 8–22 | Apr 19 – May 31 |
Leek year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start indoors | Jan | |||||||||||
| Plant | Mar | Apr | ||||||||||
| Harvest | Jan | Feb | Mar | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.
How to grow leeks
- Start seeds indoors on your city's dates in trays or small pots under a grow light or in your sunniest window. Or skip this step and buy young plants (starts) at a garden center.
- Harden off the young plants: about a week before planting, set them outside for a few hours a day, a little longer each day.
- Plant them in the garden on your city's dates, 6 inches apart. Set seedlings in a hole about 6 inches deep so the stems grow long and white.
- Water deeply once or twice a week rather than a little every day, and mulch once the soil is warm.
- Harvest: Dig whenever stems are an inch or more across. West of the Cascades you can leave them in the ground and harvest all winter.
Growing leeks in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Leeks stand in the garden through most west-side winters, so you can dig them as needed from fall to spring. Plant them where drainage is good.
Coast
Oregon and Washington coast
The mild climate suits leeks, and they can be harvested through winter.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
Leeks handle frost well, but very cold snaps can damage them. Mulch heavily or harvest before deep winter cold.
High desert and mountain towns
Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon
Start from transplants because the season is short. Harvest before the ground freezes hard.
More leek varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
King Richard
A fast leek with long, slender white shanks, ready by late summer. It is not very winter hardy, so harvest it in fall before hard freezes.
Both sides
Bandit
Short, thick stems with dark blue-green leaves that stand up to winter cold. West of the Cascades it can be left in the ground and dug all winter.
West side
American Flag
A dependable old variety, also sold as Broad London, with thick white stems and mild flavor. It is hardy and an inexpensive way to grow winter leeks from seed.
Both sides
Giant Musselburgh
A Scottish heirloom bred for wet, cold winters, with very thick stems and mild flavor. A natural fit for the rainy west-side winter garden.
West side
Tadorna
Dark blue-green leaves and medium-long white shanks with good cold tolerance. It holds well in the garden from fall into winter.
Both sides
Blue Solaise
Very cold hardy, with short, thick stems and leaves that turn violet-blue in cold weather. A beautiful and tough leek for winter harvests.
Cold winters
How much to grow
How many to plant
For a family of four, about 30 to 50 leeks for fall and winter.
What to expect
One leek per plant.
Storing the harvest
West of the Cascades, leave them in the ground and dig as needed. Dug leeks keep two weeks in the fridge.
What to plant after leeks
Around Portland, the leek harvest wraps up around March. These crops can still go into the same bed, and they come from a different plant family, which helps with rotation.
- Peas Mar 1 – Apr 12
- Radishes Mar 1 – Apr 26
- Spinach Mar 1 – Apr 5
- Lettuce Mar 1 – Apr 26
- Cilantro Mar 1 – Apr 19
- Arugula Mar 1 – Apr 12
- Bok choy Mar 1 – Apr 5
- Turnips Mar 1 – Apr 12
Peas 
Radishes 
Spinach 
Lettuce 
Cilantro 
Arugula 
Bok choy 
Turnips Portland dates. Pick your town at the top of the page for yours.
Key numbers
- About 120 from plantingDays to harvest
- 6.0–7.5Soil pH
- 1 inch a weekWater
- Yes, west of the CascadesWinter-hardy
Top care tip: Mound soil or mulch up the stems a little at a time to grow longer, whiter shanks.
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
Soil and feeding
Leeks like deep, loose, fertile soil with a pH of about 6.0 to 7.5. They are heavy feeders over a long season, so work in compost before planting and side-dress with nitrogen a couple of times through summer. Their roots are shallow and their leaves don't shade out weeds, so keep the bed weeded and mulched. Even moisture matters: dry spells slow growth and make stems tough.
Growing long, white stems
The white part of a leek is simply stem that grew in the dark. Setting seedlings in a 6-inch-deep hole, as the guide describes, starts the process. Don't fill the hole; water settles soil around the plant over time. As leeks grow, you can hill soil or mulch up around the stems for more white length. Keep soil out of the leaf folds, where it is hard to wash out. King Richard is a quick summer and fall leek, while Bandit and American Flag hold up through winter.
Winter harvest and problems
West of the Cascades, hardy leeks stand in the garden all winter and can be dug as needed, which makes them one of the best winter vegetables in the region. East of the Cascades, harsh cold may damage them, so harvest before the deep freeze or cover them heavily with straw. Rust, small orange spots on the leaves, sometimes appears in late summer. It looks bad but rarely ruins the stems; pick off affected leaves and give plants more space. Onion thrips can silver the leaves in hot, dry eastern summers.
Good neighbors and crop rotation
Good neighbors
- Carrots. Narrow leaves and feathery tops share a bed well.
- Celery. Similar long season and steady water.
Onion family: Rotate onion-family crops on a three- to four-year cycle. Onion maggots overwinter in the soil, and white rot, the worst onion disease, survives in soil for decades; never plant sets or cloves from a garden that has had it.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with leeks in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Weeds
Signs: Leeks stall in a weedy bed.
What to do: Mulch and weed while plants are small.
Onion thrips
Signs: Silvery streaks on the leaves in hot, dry summers.
What to do: Water well and hose the leaves; leeks usually grow through it.
Rust
Signs: Orange spots on the leaves in damp weather.
What to do: Space for airflow; leeks usually outgrow it.
Common questions about growing leeks
When should I plant leeks in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in the garden: Mar 15 – Apr 26 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 15 – May 27 in Spokane, Apr 1 – May 13 in Boise and May 12 – Jun 23 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
How do I get long white leeks?
Plant seedlings deep, in holes about 6 inches deep, and hill soil or mulch around the stems as they grow. The part kept from light stays white and tender. Rich soil and steady water help them grow thick.
Can I leave leeks in the ground over winter?
West of the Cascades, yes: winter-hardy varieties like Bandit can be dug all winter. East of the Cascades, mulch them heavily or harvest before hard freezes. Dig them before they send up flower stalks in spring.
What are the orange spots on my leek leaves?
That's rust, a fungal disease common in late summer. It's mostly cosmetic and the stems are still good to eat. Remove the worst leaves, avoid crowding, and don't plant leeks or garlic in the same spot next year.
See what else to plant in January, March or April.
Onions
Garlic
Shallots