Shade and wind protection doesn't hurt a bit for anything transplanted in mid summer, but remember that shade is not such a good thing later in the season when temps start to cool off and the sun loses power as the days shorten. Up here I like coffee cans that can be removed once the plants are established enough to make it on their own.

You should be able to stagger your planting of leeks right along with such other things as sweet corn, late beans, green peas, carrots, lettuce, and fall brassicas like turnips, broccoli, cabbage, and radishes, etc. A lot of these are actually best in the fall after some light frosts. Try daikon radishes and golden turnips along with your leeks. Don't overlook the succulent hearts of the broccoli stems - the filet mignon of the cole family.

Thanks Dutch!

I do have about 400 square feet of Daikon Radishes (Groundhog) growing as a cover crop and should be able to harvest some at around 6" soon. Also have lettuce, carrots, Radishes, Green Onions, Cucumbers, Brussels Sprouts, and Broccoli growing now. Already harvested the main heads of my first Broccoli planting and the side shoots are coming on now. The second planting is heading up nicely and they are really liking this cool weather that just started after growing in 80+ temps the last month. I agree on the heart of the Broccoli stems especially when fall grown in cool temps. I'm wishing now that I had planted out one more round of Broccoli in mid September. I did manage to blanch and freeze enough for about 10 meals so I have that to look forward to this winter.

I just wasn't sure how the leeks would hold up with a mid summer planting. I will take your advise and rig up some temporary shade that can be removed after the plants are established and the weather cools a bit. We have a Keurig coffee maker so not many coffee cans around the house and I don't think the little K cups will provide much shade :).

One other question. My brother lives in Stillwater, MN and is asking me if fall planted shallots would make it thru the winter up there. I told him I doubt it. Have you tried fall planting shallots and if so how did they do?

What are called shallots depends a great deal on where one is and who is doing the talking. By and large the multiplier onions are hardier than the bulbing types.

I have not had much luck with fall planted red French shallots, but the yellow Dutch ones which really are potato onions or yellow multipliers have done fine planted in the fall. Both the yellow, red and white multipliers do fine for me when planted in the early spring. Then they can take light frosts and so can be set out quite early. For all the alliums take drainage seriously, I have had more problem when I ignored that than from winter kill.

I like to prepare my beds for early spring planting in the fall though. Then in the spring I can prepare the beds for later planting. This gives them all a chance to mellow a bit. It might be just me but that seems to me to make transplanting easier, speed up germination and increase production.

BTW although daikons have traditionally been a fall crop, I have had good early production from April Cross and Summer Cross, when planted with early spring radishes. They can also be planted staggered and still stay quite mild into the heat of summer. I like daikons and would like to have them in the kitchen all year, if for nothing more than to snack on.

Great information Dutch!

I have both Red French and Dutch Yellow Shallots so I may give the bro some of the yellow to try. All of my garlic and shallots will be planted to 12" deep well amended raised beds with good drainage. That being said I still had too much rot in the garlic last year because the rain was relentless thru mid June. I will be removing most of the winter mulch on the Garlic and Shallots this year if it looks like we will have another wet spring to try to alleviate that problem.

I do the same and prepare in the fall for beds that I will be planting cool veggies the following spring. I won't be able to do that with the 400 sq. ft. in ground bed that I have the Daikons in though since most will be left to rot over the winter. I have that bed slotted for bulbing onions, leeks, Broccoli, Pole Beans, and pickling cucumbers next year, but we usually have a relatively warm and dry period in late winter when I can amend, till, and rake up the bed into raised rows. I might give some spring planted Daikons a try in that bed also but I think I might order some other types like the ones you mentioned since the Groundhog type I have seed for is bred for bio-tilling purposes rather than culinary appeal.

I need to find some other ways to use Daikons this fall. So far I have just peeled and sliced them and dipped in some ranch dressing. And my wife made some really good slaw out of grated Daikon and carrots.