leek 'Carlton'

'Carlton' is an F1 hybrid with mid-green to dark green leaves, which germinates quickly and grows quickly to give a good yield, of stems about 30cm long and 4cm across, which can be harvested early, from late summer to autumn; it may tend to bolt more than some cultivars, but it has a greater proportion of blanched stem than most other cultivars. Leeks, Allium porrum, are herbaceous perennials usually grown as annual vegetables, with upright stems which can be blanched white, and green or blue-green leaves about 30-50cm long; plants may flower by bolting in their first year, or the following year if left overwinter, with stems up to 1.5m high topped by rounded flowerheads 5-9cm across of hundreds of star-like pale pink to white flowers which are visited by bees, in summer.