I have grown leeks for 10 years.I plant seeds in a one foot deep container the circumference of average bucket.After leeks are size of pencil, i dig hole in garden size of bucket.Usually one month later i seperate individual leeks and plant 4 inch apart in trench.The individual plants are very strong when seperating from the clump they form in bucket.Currently have couple hundred over-wintering from may 28 planting in 2008.I start under lights in april for jump on summer.

The grasshoppers make a field day on my leaks, so for me leaks are a purely winter crop. They do well here, save for the grasshoppers.

My elephant Garlic thrives however. On a slope, it competes with grass and weeds. With no care at all it self propagates. Since elephant garlic is a leek, and since anything I would cook with a leek in it, would also be loaded with garlic, I have no problem with using fresh elephant garlic to cook with.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Blog entry on Elephant Garlic

I have good success in zone 8(pacific northwest maritime) growing winter leeks from seed. I plant them in early April in a small corner of some garden bed tightly together. Then I transplant them to 1-foot spacing in a prepared bed during cool/cloudy weather in early July, or later as weather permits. Then I just leave them there and harvest one at a time thru the Fall and Winter.