Bandit
Allium porrum
Bandit has beautiful very dark blue-green, upright leaves and good uniformity. The shank grows very thick with minimal bulbing. NOTE: For ease of sowing, Bandit's seed is coated with an inert, NOP-compliant film.
Harvest
120d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Zones
4–9
USDA hardiness
Height
1-3 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Bandit in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 allium →Zone Map
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Bandit · Zones 4–9
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | — | — | May – June | September – October |
| Zone 4 | — | — | April – June | August – October |
| Zone 5 | — | — | April – May | August – November |
| Zone 6 | — | — | April – May | August – November |
| Zone 7 | — | — | March – May | July – November |
| Zone 8 | — | — | March – April | July – December |
| Zone 9 | — | — | February – March | June – December |
| Zone 10 | — | — | January – March | May – December |
| Zone 1 | — | — | June – July | October – September |
| Zone 2 | — | — | May – July | September – September |
| Zone 11 | — | — | January – February | April – December |
| Zone 12 | — | — | January – February | April – December |
| Zone 13 | — | — | January – February | April – December |
Succession Planting
Direct sow Bandit every 3 to 4 weeks from March 1 through early May in zone 7. Leeks are slow — 120 days to harvest means a March 1 sowing won't be ready until late June at the earliest, and a May sowing carries you well into October. That spread is useful if you want leeks showing up consistently rather than all at once.
Stop new sowings once daytime highs are consistently above 85°F — germination gets patchy and seedlings struggle to establish in summer heat. For a fall-and-winter supply, your last direct sow should go in by May 15 at the latest, or start seeds indoors in mid-April and transplant out in late May before the heat locks in.
Complete Growing Guide
Bandit has beautiful very dark blue-green, upright leaves and good uniformity. The shank grows very thick with minimal bulbing. NOTE: For ease of sowing, Bandit's seed is coated with an inert, NOP-compliant film. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Bandit is 120 days to maturity, annual, open pollinated. Notable features: Organic Seeds, Plants, and Supplies, Cold Tolerant.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), Sand. Drainage: Good Drainage. Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. Spread: 0 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. Spacing: Less than 12 inches. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: Low. Propagation: Division. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Bandit reaches harvest at 120 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.
The capsule splits longitudinally and contains small round black seeds.
Type: Capsule.
Storage & Preservation
Harvest Bandit leeks at 120 days and store unwashed in the refrigerator's crisper drawer at 32–40°F with high humidity (95%) for up to three weeks. Keep them in a perforated plastic bag to maintain moisture without promoting rot. Fresh shelf life extends to two weeks at room temperature if kept upright in a jar with an inch of water, changing water every few days.
For longer preservation, freeze blanched white and light-green portions in freezer bags for up to eight months—they work well in soups and braises but won't maintain crisp texture raw. Dried leek rings retain good flavor for six months when stored in airtight containers away from light. Fermentation is also viable; salt-brine whole small specimens for pickled leeks ready in two weeks.
Bandit's compact, uniform shape makes it particularly suited to whole-specimen pickling compared to larger varieties, which often require chopping.
History & Origin
Bandit is open-pollinated, meaning seed saved from healthy plants will produce true-to-type offspring. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.
Origin: Northern Hemisphere, North America and Eurasia
Advantages
- +Beautiful dark blue-green foliage provides striking visual appeal in gardens
- +Excellent uniformity ensures consistent harvest and professional-looking bunches
- +Thick shank development maximizes usable leek length per plant
- +Coated seed simplifies sowing and improves germination consistency
Considerations
- -120-day maturity requires extended growing season in short-season regions
- -Minimal bulbing limits storage life compared to bulbing varieties
- -Upright leaf habit may require staking in windy locations
Companion Plants
Leeks get along well with most of the garden. Carrots are a natural fit — they share shallow-to-mid root depth without competing much, and the sulfur compounds leeks emit are said to confuse carrot fly (Psila rosae). That repellency claim gets repeated more than the evidence supports, but the two genuinely don't interfere with each other, and in our zone 7 Georgia garden you can get both into the ground in March without much scheduling conflict. Tomatoes, peppers, and brassicas like cabbage and broccoli are all fine neighbors — the allium smell does seem to slow aphid buildup around brassicas, which is worth something.
Beans and peas are the ones to keep separated by at least a bed. Leeks produce sulfur compounds that inhibit the nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria on legume roots — you'll stunt the legumes and lose whatever soil fertility they were building for you. Asparagus is a harder conflict: it's a perennial that spreads underground, and working a leek succession around established crowns every 3 to 4 weeks is a headache you don't need.
Plant Together
Roses
Alliums repel aphids, thrips, and other pests that commonly attack roses
Tomatoes
Alliums deter aphids, spider mites, and may help prevent fungal diseases
Carrots
Alliums repel carrot fly and carrot rust fly larvae
Cabbage
Repels cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, and flea beetles
Lettuce
Alliums provide pest protection without competing for nutrients
Peppers
Deters aphids and may help reduce fungal infections
Strawberries
Repels slugs, aphids, and may improve berry flavor
Broccoli
Alliums repel cabbage moths and other brassica pests
Keep Apart
Beans
Alliums can inhibit nitrogen fixation by bean root bacteria
Peas
May stunt pea growth and interfere with nitrogen-fixing capabilities
Asparagus
Can inhibit asparagus growth and may cause stunting of spears
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #170000)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Common Pests
Onion maggots, thrips, cutworms
Diseases
Pink root, fusarium basal rot, downy mildew
Troubleshooting Bandit
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Seedlings collapsing at soil level or disappearing overnight, especially in the first 3 weeks after transplant
Likely Causes
- Cutworms (Agrotis spp.) — fat gray-brown larvae that curl up when disturbed, feed at night
- Transplanting into soil that wasn't firmed around the base
What to Do
- 1.Dig around the base of a few collapsed plants — you'll usually find the cutworm within 2 inches of the stem
- 2.Press a 3-inch cardboard or plastic collar into the soil around each transplant at planting time
- 3.Broadcast diatomaceous earth in a ring around the bed perimeter if you've had cutworm pressure before
Leaves show silver-white streaking or flecking, with tiny black specks (frass) visible on close inspection
Likely Causes
- Thrips (Thrips tabaci) — nearly invisible insects that rasp leaf tissue and suck cell contents
- Hot, dry spells that stress the plant and favor thrips reproduction
What to Do
- 1.Knock them back with a strong stream of water early in the morning, two or three days in a row
- 2.Apply insecticidal soap or spinosad to the leaf surfaces — get into the base of the fan where they hide
- 3.Keep the bed consistently watered; drought-stressed leeks get hit harder
Roots turning pink or reddish-brown, plant stunted and slow despite good fertility — most visible when you pull the plant at harvest
Likely Causes
- Pink root (Phoma terrestris) — a soil-borne fungal pathogen that persists in allium beds for years
- Planting in the same bed as last year's onions, leeks, or garlic without rotation
What to Do
- 1.Pull affected plants and don't replant any allium in that bed for at least 3 seasons
- 2.There's no spray fix mid-season — rotation is the only real tool here
- 3.Improve drainage if the bed stays wet after rain; Phoma terrestris thrives in waterlogged soil
Frequently Asked Questions
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Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
- BreederJohnny's Selected Seeds
- USDAUSDA FoodData Central
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.
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