Easy Ways to Grow Leeks from Leeks (2024)

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Co-authored bywikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 11, 2021References

1. 1

   Cut about 1in (2.5cm) of the root end off the rest of a leek. Lay a leek on a cutting board and hold it steady with one hand. Use a sharp knife to cut off all of the greens, leaving behind at least 1in (2.5cm) of the white part with the roots attached.^[1]

   • Go ahead and use the greens to cook with. You don’t need them to grow a new leek.
2. 2

   Put the root end roots-down in a glass jar and cover it about halfway with water. Choose any cup that’s large enough to hold the whole root end. Place it upright in the middle of the cup with the roots facing down. Pour water into the cup until the root end is about halfway submerged.^[2]

   • Don’t ever submerge the whole leek in water or it won’t grow new greens from the top.
   • If you don’t have a jar, use a cup or another container. However, if the container is wide and the root end of the leek won’t stand up, push toothpicks into the side of the leek to support it on the rim of the container.
3. 3

   Place the cup near a sunny window. Set the cup somewhere like a sunny kitchen window sill or anywhere else where it will receive lots of natural light, such as 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. Wait patiently for several days until new greens start growing out of the root end.^[3]

   • The exact amount of time this takes varies, but typically you can expect to see new greens starting to grow in about 3 days.
4. 4

   Change the water in the cup every 2-3 days to keep it fresh. Carefully pour out the old water. Refill the cup with fresh water so that the root end is covered about halfway again.^[4]

   • Keeping the water fresh prevents the growth of fungi and keeps the root system nice and healthy.

   See Also

   What Is Keiki Paste And What Does It Do For Plants? - House DigestHow to Grow Leeks At Home: A Complete Guide
5. 5

   Snip greens off the leek when they’re at least 2–3in (5.1–7.6cm) long. Use clean kitchen scissors or garden snips. Trim off as many greens as you need to cook with and leave the leek in the water indefinitely to keep growing and harvesting greens.^[5]

   • You can choose to transplant your leek to a pot, where it will grow even more, rather than harvesting the greens.

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1. 1

   Plant your regrown leek in soil when it has 2–3in (5.1–7.6cm) of new greens. Leave the leek in water until there are at least 2–3in (5.1–7.6cm) of greens growing out of the top. This allows the root end to get established before you put it in soil.^[6]

   • This might take around 5-10 days after cutting the original leek and putting the root end in water.
2. 2

   Line the bottom of a 1 gallon (3.78 L) nursery pot with newspaper. Grab an old piece of newspaper and push it into the bottom of a standard plastic nursery pot, so that the holes at the bottom are covered. This prevents soil from falling out and making a mess in your home.^[7]

   • If you don’t have a nursery pot, feel free to use any other kind of pot that has holes in the bottom. Use something that’s at least 1 gallon (3.78 L) big for a single leek.
   • The newspaper shouldn’t cause drainage issues because water can still drip through it and leeks like moist soil anyways. However, if you want to put the pot outside and aren’t worried about some dirt falling out, skip adding newspaper.
3. 3

   Fill the pot to the top with any potting soil mix and compress it down. Choose any commercial potting mix that you can buy at a local nursery or garden supply shop. Pour the soil into the pot, up to the brim, then pack it down using your knuckles until it’s about ¹⁄₄in (0.64cm) below the rim of the pot.^[8]

   • Potting soil mixes are usually composed of peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, sand, and shredded bark or compost. These commercial mixes provide a good balance of nutrients and drainage.
4. 4

   Dig a hole in the center of the pot that’s about 2.5in (6.4cm) deep. Use your fingers or a utensil like the handle of a screwdriver to dig a small hole in the middle of the soil. If you can stick your index finger into the hole up to a little past the second joint, it’s about 2.5in (6.4cm) deep.^[9]

   • The hole should be deep enough to completely cover the roots and white end of your leek without covering the greens at all, so adjust the depth of your hole if your leek has more or less white.
5. 5

   Stick your leek roots-down in the hole and pack the soil around it. Lift your leek out of the water and gently place it into the hole in the soil. Carefully pack the soil around the roots and white part until it’s firmly set in place.^[10]

   • If the leek has any mushy layers of the white part from soaking in the water, peel them off until you reach firm white flesh before putting it in the soil. The mushy parts can just rot in the soil.

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1. 1

   Place the pot where it will get 8 hours of sunlight a day. Set your leek near a sunny window or somewhere like near a sliding glass door that gets full sun. The minimum amount of sunlight that leeks need to grow well in soil is 8 hours.^[11]

   • It’s okay if your leek gets more than 8 hours of sunlight. They like a lot of sun!
2. 2

   Water the leek when the soil dries out. Check the soil every few days by sticking your finger down into the top 1in (2.5cm) or so. Water your leek whenever this top layer of the soil feels dry to keep the soil moist.^[12]

   • Check the soil more often during particularly dry and hot spells and water your leek more frequently if needed.
3. 3

   Cut off any leaves that develop yellow spots. These spots can be a sign of a fungal infection called leek rust. Watch out for these symptoms and immediately cut off and discard any affected leaves with clean garden snips or kitchen scissors.^[13]

   • Leek rust usually occurs after long wet spells, so it could be a sign that you’re overwatering. Try cutting back on watering after you remove the damaged leaves to see if that helps solve the problem.
4. 4

   Discard your leek and the soil it’s in if the foliage yellows and wilts. These are symptoms of a soil-borne disease called onion white rot. There is no cure for this and it means the soil is contaminated, so throw everything away to avoid cross contaminating the soil of any other leeks you’re growing.^[14]

   • You may also notice a white fluffy fungus near the base of the leek’s bulb.
5. 5

   Pull the leek out of the soil to harvest it when it reaches the desired size. Grab the leek by the stem, close to the base, and carefully pull it straight up and out of the soil. Cut off the greens to use for cooking and discard the root end or start regrowing it in water all over again!^[15]

   • Keep in mind that most leeks don’t grow any bigger after their stem is about 1in (2.5cm) wide. However, some varieties only get up to ³⁄₄in (1.9cm) or ¹⁄₂in (1.3cm) wide.

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