Harvest leeks all year round: the Altai variety is very easy to care for

Created: 07/27/2022, 17:30

By: Ines Alms

Altai leeks are perfect for self-sufficiency - the undemanding leek is easy to propagate and survives the hot and cold seasons well.

The Altai leek can hardly be found at the weekly market, but is becoming increasingly popular with hobby gardeners.

And with good reason: These hardy Siberian leeks are robust and can be harvested almost all year round, so with a bit of luck you can still get the fresh greens when it snows.

But it survives hot summers just as well.

Harvest leeks all year round: the Altai variety is very easy to care for

The Altai leek (Allium altaicum) is similar to the winter onion and very robust.

© imagebroker/Imago

The Altai leek (Allium altaicum) is similar to the common spring onion or winter onion, but grows bushier in width than these and has thicker tubular stalks.

This type of wild leek - the plant is said to be the wild ancestor of the winter onion - is native to the Russian Altai Mountains, Mongolia and China.

There he learned how to deal with very cold winters and hot dry periods in summer.

In our latitudes, the hardy perennial is therefore well suited for sunny locations and dry, well-drained soil.

Once the spring onion has been planted in the bed, it usually multiplies itself: the tubers can then be easily dug up and used elsewhere - or eaten.

During the summer, the white inflorescences form seeds, which can also be collected as seeds for the following spring.

Altai leeks are sown in spring and harvested all year round

How to grow and harvest Altai leeks:

• Sowing takes place from March to May in preculture.

  From April, however, the plant can also be sown directly outdoors, this is also possible in the following months.

  After the ice saints in mid-May, young plants can go into the bed.

• The main harvest time is from June to September, but much longer is also possible.

  Young plants should be harvested a little more cautiously in the first few years until the perennials are larger.

• If you cut back the plant after flowering, it will sprout again.

• The Altai leek, with its slight spiciness, which is similar to that of chives, can be used in the kitchen from the flower to the tuber like spring onions, for example for soups, salads or on sandwiches.

You can find even more exciting gardening topics in our free newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.

When the cold season approaches, the Altai leek does not need winter protection, you can leave the vegetables to themselves and still harvest them from time to time.

10 plants that tolerate heat - from flowers to vegetables

View photo gallery