Allium porrum
Origin: Delft, Netherlands
Improvement status: Cultivar
Seeds per packet: ~150
Germination tested 11/2023: 95%
Life cycle: Biennial/Perennial
'Delft' is a winter leek from the Dutch city of the same name (famous for its blue-painted pottery known as Delftware). It produces leeks with long well-wrapped shafts and strong upright leaves. When cooked, the flesh becomes tender and melting and quite delicious. We've previously sold seeds from a perennial selection that came from this population, so keep an eye out for plants that stick around through many winters (leeks produce little bulbs called "offsets" that resemble small cloves of garlic; leaving the roots and bottom of the leek in the ground at harvest increases the likelihood of plants surviving for multiple seasons).
These seeds, like the 'Delft Perpetual' variety we sold in 2021, come to us from Wild Garden Seeds in Philomath, Oregon.