I've done a fair amount of research on ramps but haven't tried growing them yet. The most knowledgable source I encountered was a man named Glen Facemire in Richwood, WV who runs http://www.rampfarm.com . This is likely the only commercial ramp farm in the world. He sells fresh ramps, starts, and seed for anybody interested. Also, from an above post, you can trust that the ramps shipped fresh from him and his wife arrive in good condition for about $10 a pound which includes shipping. They really need to be prepared soon though but an iced cooler works for a few days (3-4 max). His theory is that seed is the best way to plant ramps.They don't spread by the roots but only by the seed fruit. The ramps must have a good winter freeze but seed still takes a couple years to germinate... it's a very hard seed. He says most people who get a bundle of unwashed ramps and transplant are really just getting baby seed sprouts tangled up in the dirt and roots that often makes people believe the transplant was a success. He does have ramp bulb sets in season (March through April)./ We visited his "farm" which is situated ideally on a steep northern facing hillside. It isn't really a "farm" in any sense... he just scatters collected seed just into the leaf duff and waits 7 years before harvest until after they flower and make hearty seed to replenish the patch. They're really a treat.. but not for everybody! There is also a PBS documentary on ramp festivals called "King of Stink" that is pretty funny and his ramp farm is one of the features in it. Here is a link that might be useful: Ramp Farm & Supply Source

I know this is 2 years too late, but October is the time of year that I transplant ramps. If you transplant them in the fall the plants are dormant and do not suffer from transplant shock. I've never had a transplanted dormant bulb not sprout normally in the spring. I look for the seed heads, harvest the seeds to move to a new area or scatter them uphill from where I have ramps growing to expand the patch. They will germinate over the next year or two, depending on the weather. Gently remove the leaf litter to expose the tops of the bulb clusters. You'll see the pointed tips of bulbs with seed stalks and a few points from bulbs that did not make a seed head this year. Use a trowel or small hoe to dig above the cluster and pry the clump out of the ground. Shake the dirt from the roots and separate the bulbs. I replant the smallest of the bulbs where the cluster was dug up and it will grow back in a couple years. Transplant the bulbs to their new growing spot. I like to space mine around 6 inches apart and cover the tips of the bulbs with an inch of dirt plus 3 or 4 inches of leaf litter, shredded leaves or grass clippings. Do not harvest from your newly transplanted patch in the spring. It's best to wait 2 or 3 years so there will be a mixture of large, mature bulbs and smaller offsets and seedlings in the patch. The dormant bulbs are easily twice the size that they are when they are actively growing and are an excellent addition to any dish you'd add ramps to in the spring.

Like northerner, I'm still trying to collect seeds. Spent last night cleaning rudbeckia seeds. I'm also still doing fall clean up and mulching all my beds with leaves. I'm adding large amounts to stuff to my compost daily, getting it ready to sleep for a couple of months. I have 5 big construction bags of leaves to shred and mulch my beds. I need lots more, which I'll try to get on Tuesday, the day before garbage collection, and hopefully many more to be delivered by neighbors. Haven't even thought about Christmas yet. Haven't bought or done a thing. No, we'll be well into January before I can think about winter sowing. Karen

Actually I do know why leeks are not more popular. You reek of wild leeks after you eat them. You sweat leek smell, you exhale leek smell. It just oozes out any way possible it seems. haha But if a whole community is doing the same thing then everyone can stink and it does not matter anyway. Leeks are so darn tasty anyway it's worth a little odor for a wonderful gastronomic experience. tazdacat I'm not entirely certain that Ramps appear in Zone 2 and they may only be hardy to Zone 3-4. Some lists even say Zone 5. I wish people would make up their minds and decide the hardiness of wild leeks and be done with it. haha Otherwise it is so confusing. Here is a website link. http://www.discoverlife.org/nh/tx/Plantae/Monocotyledoneae/Liliaceae/Allium/tricoccum/index.html Listed on that site are distribution maps and other information. Also, in an earlier post, I misspelled the Latin name. Allium tricoccum For help in finding wild ones, look at photos on the internet. There are tons. Then the environment where they are found is depicted and then one can easily try and match up the photos with their own area. And timing is very important. Some indicator trees and plants include Sugar Maples, Triliums, the Fiddlehead/Ostrich ferns, Solomon's Seal. In the mean time I am going to be emailing away again this year, asking for people's help in distributing some wild leek clumps. I for one want to create a colony on our property of both wild onion and wild leek, along with many other perennial vegetables as a kind of conservation and permaculture project. Because in many places, the wild plants are being over harvested. But then again elsewhere, the leeks are dug up and tossed because it's near a dairy farm and the farmers don't want the cows eating the leeks because it makes the milk taste funny. I wrote a guy two years ago asking if he could mail off some clumps to people instead of just destroying them. And he replied sorry they are all gone to the dump. *frown* Here is a link that might be useful: Allium tricoccum