Leeks planting calendar
When to plant leeks — pick your state
Leeks timing swings hard by climate — choose your state for sow, transplant, and harvest dates calibrated to its USDA zone and frost window.
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Southwest
West
Pacific
Not listed: Hawaii — the dominant climate zone there is outside leeks's practical range, so a generic calendar would mislead more than it helps.
Common questions
When should I plant leeks?
Leeks are among the hardiest alliums — established plants tolerate temperatures as low as -10 °C, making them a reliable overwintering crop in zones 5–9. Start seeds indoors 10–12 weeks before last frost, transplanting pencil-thick seedlings into 15 cm (6-inch) deep holes or trenches to blanch the stems; backfill gradually as plants grow. Early-season varieties mature in around 90 days; late-season types take up to 150 days and deliver the best cold-hardiness for autumn and winter harvest. Because the right window depends on your local frost dates, pick your US state above for a calendar with exact sow, transplant, and harvest dates.
Does the best time to plant leeks vary by state?
Yes — planting dates swing by several weeks across the US because each state sits in a different USDA zone with its own frost window. Every state page here gives leeks dates calibrated to that state's climate.
How are these leeks planting dates calculated?
Each state's dates come from that state's dominant USDA hardiness zone and NOAA average frost dates, then adjusted for leeks's cold tolerance and days to maturity.