Green onions, also known as scallions or spring onions, represent one of the simplest and quickest vegetables a home gardener can cultivate. These slender, flavorful greens are highly prized for their mild taste compared to bulb onions. Their appeal lies in their capacity for continuous, year-round harvesting, making them a fixture in both outdoor gardens and indoor container setups.
Preparing the Growing Environment
Green onions thrive best when they receive ample sunlight, ideally six to eight hours of direct light daily, though they can tolerate partially shaded conditions. For outdoor planting, early spring or fall are the most suitable seasons, as these are cool-season crops. Indoor growing offers the flexibility of year-round cultivation, provided they are placed near a bright, south-facing window or under supplemental grow lights.
The ideal growing medium is a loose, well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. A soil pH ranging from slightly acidic to neutral, between 6.0 and 7.0, supports optimal growth. Before planting, the soil should be amended with compost or aged manure to ensure good texture and nutrient content. If using containers indoors, select pots at least 10 to 12 inches deep to allow sufficient space for root development and proper drainage.
Three Ways to Start Your Green Onions
Starting green onions can be accomplished through three distinct methods, each offering a different timeline and level of convenience. Growing from true seeds is the slowest method but provides the largest selection of varieties. Seeds should be sown thinly about a quarter to a half-inch deep in the soil. Germination can take about a week, but the plants will require 60 to 90 days to reach a harvestable size of six to eight inches tall.
Planting from sets, which are small immature bulbs, offers a faster path to harvest. These small bulbs are placed in the soil about one to two inches deep with the pointed tip facing upward. Sets should be spaced roughly four inches apart to allow room for the plants to multiply or “bunch.” This method bypasses the lengthy germination period and results in a quicker yield than starting from seed.
The fastest and most popular technique involves regrowing from kitchen scraps saved from store-bought green onions. The white base of the onion, including the roots and about one to two inches of the stalk, is saved after the green tops are used. This root base can be placed directly in a shallow glass of water, ensuring the roots are submerged and the cut end is above the waterline. Once new green shoots emerge and a healthy root mass develops, typically within a week, the scrap can be transplanted into soil for sustained growth.
Watering and Ongoing Maintenance
Green onions require the soil to be consistently moist but not waterlogged to maintain healthy growth. They generally need about one inch of water per week, provided through rainfall or manual watering. Checking the soil moisture by inserting a finger two inches down will indicate if watering is needed; if the soil feels dry, it is time to water.
Since the goal is to produce continuous green foliage rather than a bulb, green onions benefit from light, regular feeding with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Applying a balanced organic fertilizer, like a diluted fish emulsion or compost tea, every two to four weeks supports this leaf production. Yellowing leaf tips are a sign of nitrogen deficiency, which signals a need for a nutrient boost. If the plants were sown densely from seed, thinning them to a spacing of two inches apart will prevent overcrowding and improve air circulation.
Harvesting for Regrowth
The technique for harvesting is fundamental to ensuring a cut-and-come-again, continuous supply from the same plant base. Instead of pulling the entire plant from the soil, the green stalks are simply cut off using a sharp knife or scissors. The cut should be made about one to two inches above the soil line, ensuring the white base and the root system remain undisturbed in the ground.
Leaving this base intact allows the plant to quickly allocate energy to generating new shoots from the center of the stalk. New green growth will reappear within a few days to a week, ready for another harvest in a short period. This method can be repeated multiple times, effectively turning a single planting into a season-long or even perennial source of fresh green onions.