Bandit Organic

SKU: LK441
Bandit is extremely cold hardy and upright in habit. It develops substantial, thickened stems and attractive, very dark blue-green leaves. Read More

Exposure Full-sun

Matures in 135 days

Season Cool season

Seed type OP ?

Average Seeds Per Gram 358 ?

Bandit Organic has a rating of 5 stars based on 3 reviews.
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Bandit Organic

Product Details

Sow Bandit leek seeds March to mid-June for fall and winter harvests. Bandit is extremely cold hardy and upright in habit. It develops substantial, thickened stems and attractive, very dark blue-green leaves. The mammoth stems add a little bit of weight for market growers, and can be blanched higher on the plants by hilling. The thickened stems also make cleaning easier. Bandit shows very little bulbing, bolting, or splitting so it can be harvested into the following spring. The flavour is excellent and the sweetness improves with frost and cold weather.

These seeds may be coated with an inert, organically certified layer which helps to minimize clumping in storage and seed sowing machines. The coating is approved by organic certifiers in Canada, the US, EU, and Japan.

Matures in 135 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Quick Facts:

    • Very winter hardy
    • Upright growth
    • Thick stems show little bulbing
    • Open-pollinated seeds
    • Matures in 135 days

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All About Bandit Organic

Latin

Latin
Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Difficulty

Difficulty
Easy, but slow. Transplanting is required.

Season & Zone

Season & Zone
Season: Cool season
Exposure: Full-sun
Zone: Winter harvest leeks are hardy to Zone 7.

Timing

Timing
Start summer/fall harvest leeks 6-8 weeks before the last frost date, in flats indoors. Start winter harvest leeks indoors from March to mid-June. In mild winter areas, start them in a humus-rich nursery bed outside, and then transplant. Optimal soil temperature: 10-25°C (50-75°F). Seeds should sprout in 10-16 days.

Starting

Starting
In flats: Sow seeds 5mm (¼”) deep, about 1cm (½”) apart. Transplant when 20cm (8″) tall. Space 20cm (8″) apart in rows 45cm (18″) apart. Rows can be as narrow as 20cm (8") if planting in raised beds or other situation where weeding will be simple.

Growing

Growing
Ideal pH: 5.-6.5. Leeks have short roots, so the benefit from fertile soil with lots of compost and ½ cup balanced organic fertilizer worked in beneath each 2m (6′) of row. Traditional garden wisdom recommends using a dibber to make holes 15cm (6″) deep. Transplants are then set at the bottom of the hole and the hole is left unfilled – rain will fill it in as the leek grows. To blanch further up the stem, hill soil up around the stem as the leek grows, or mulch with straw.

However, the wise and much loved garden writer Linda Gilkeson asserts that there is no need to plant leeks into holes or trenches. She recommends transplanting the seedlings only at the depth of the soil plug they grow in. They will still produce nice, tall, blanched shanks, with no soil grains between the leaves.

In late fall, mulch around leeks as high up the stems as possible. If the forecast is for weather below -10° (14°Ï‚ cover them with a blanket or tarp.

Days to maturity: From transplant date.

Harvest

Harvest
Dig at any size, as needed. If winter harvest leeks freeze solid, wait until they thaw out during a warm spell to harvest.

Seed Info

Seed Info
In optimal conditions at least 65% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 1 year. Per 100′ row: 240 seeds, per acre: 70M seeds.

Companion Planting

Companion Planting
Grow leeks with beets, carrot, celery, onions, and spinach. Avoid planting near beans and peas. Leeks help repel carrot rust flies.

More on Companion Planting.

How to Grow Leeks

Step 1

Timing

Start summer/fall harvest leeks 6-8 weeks before the last frost date, in flats indoors. Start winter harvest leeks indoors from March to mid-June. In mild winter areas, start them in a humus-rich nursery bed outside, and then transplant. Optimal soil temperature: 10-25°C (50-75°F). Seeds should sprout in 10-16 days.

Step 2

Starting

In flats: Sow seeds 5mm (¼”) deep, about 1cm (½”) apart. Transplant when 20cm (8″) tall. Space 20cm (8″) apart in rows 45cm (18″) apart. Rows can be as narrow as 20cm (8") if planting in raised beds or other situation where weeding will be simple.

Step 3

Growing

Ideal pH: 5.-6.5.

Leeks have short roots, so the benefit from fertile soil with lots of compost and ½ cup balanced organic fertilizer worked in beneath each 2m (6′) of row. Traditional garden wisdom recommends using a dibber to make holes 15cm (6″) deep. Transplants are then set at the bottom of the hole and the hole is left unfilled – rain will fill it in as the leek grows. To blanch further up the stem, hill soil up around the stem as the leek grows, or mulch with straw.

However, the wise and much loved garden writer Linda Gilkeson asserts that there is no need to plant leeks into holes or trenches. She recommends transplanting the seedlings only at the depth of the soil plug they grow in. They will still produce nice, tall, blanched shanks, with no soil grains between the leaves.

In late fall, mulch around leeks as high up the stems as possible. If the forecast is for weather below -10°‚ cover them with a blanket or tarp.

Step 4

Germination

Days to maturity: From transplant date.

In optimal conditions at least 65% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 1 year. Per 100′ row: 240 seeds, per acre: 70M seeds.

Step 5

Harvest

Dig at any size, as needed. If winter harvest leeks freeze solid, wait until they thaw out during a warm spell to harvest.

Tips

Companion Planting

Grow leeks with beets, carrot, celery, onions, and spinach. Avoid planting near beans and peas. Leeks help repel carrot rust flies.

Customer Reviews & Questions