These small, slow-to-mature bulbs spread and colonize over time, featuring pinkish-white flowers.
It can take seven years to harvest from seed and three years from bulbs.
Plants, bulbs, and seeds typically are started in spring but can be planted in fall.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
How to Plant Ramps
Ramps can be planted as bulbs or seeds.
The ideal planting times vary based on the method you choose.
Bulbs yield vegetables in half the time.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Water the plants well, andmulchthe whole bed with shredded leaves orleaf mold.
They are usually found in moist areas under deciduous trees.
The soil should have a good amount oforganic matterand be well-draining.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The soil pH should be close to neutral, ideally between 6.8 and 7.2.
Water
Ramps like regular moisture but do not grow well in wet soils.
They grow actively only briefly in the spring, so there is little room for error.
The Spruce
They resemblelily of the valleyleaves, although a bit slimmer.
Wild leeks have a flower stalk that tends to emerge as the leaves fade.
Be careful not to damage neighboring plants.
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Their flavor is a combination of spring onions and garlic.
Ramps are delicious when eaten on their own or can be used to flavor other dishes.
The leaves, stems, and bulbs can be blanched, fried, chopped, and mixed into dishes.
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These perennials are very slow to reach maturity for harvest.
To keep them longer: Blanch, freeze, pickle, or dehydrate them.
They can also be ground down into a seasoning powder.
They only need a depth of about 1 foot.
Plant bulbs and seeds the same way you would in a woodland garden.
Space bulbs, seeds, or transplants about 4 inches apart.
Ensure pots have ample drainage holes since ramps do not like soggy soil.
Give a 1- to 2-inch layer of leaf mulch to mimic their natural growing environment.
Pruning
Remove weeds that would compete with ramps for nutrients and space.
If you have a densely packed colony, harvest bulbsroot and allto allow for more growing space.
Growing ramps from seed can take a long time.
The seed embryo is not fully developed in fresh seed and may remain dormant.
Since the weather fluctuates yearly, it can take a couple of years for the seed to germinate.
The best time to sow ramp seeds is in late summer to early fall.
Ramp seeds have a dormant, underdeveloped embryo.
Ramps need a winter season to enable germination and shoot dormancy.
Ramps do not need any winter protection.
Also, aphids and caterpillars can latch onto foliage.
To prevent leaf spot, avoid watering from above and water at the ground level.
To get aphids and caterpillars off your plants, spray them with a cold water hose to dislodge them.
Use floating row covers to keep allium leaf miners away from your plants, or consider insecticidal control methods.
Ramps grow rhizomes or roots that spread underground, producing more ramp plants.
Ramps prefer a woodland setting.
Ramps do not grow well under conifers but prefer moist, neutral, or slightly acidic soil.
