Grow Endless Green Onions for Your Kitchen!

Do you love having fresh green onions for recipes but hate buying bunches that wilt quickly? Why not grow your own at home? Green onions are one of the easiest and most rewarding crops you can grow.

With just a few simple steps, you can have an endless supply of green onions year-round from your garden, container, or even a sunny window! Read on to learn how.

What Are Green Onions?

Green onions go by many names – scallions, spring onions, bunching onions. But they’re all the same thing – immaturely harvested onion plants meant to be eaten fresh for their green tops and small whitebulbs.

Unlike dry onions grown for bulbs, green onions are grown much more densely and harvested at a very young age when the plants are still slender and green. This keeps them tender with a mild, oniony flavor perfect for salads, garnishes, cooking and more.

Why Grow Your Own?

Growing green onions at home ensures you always have fresh, flavorful onions on hand. And the best part? Once you plant them, you get an endless supply!

As you harvest the green tops, the plants will continuously regrow more. So one crop provides green onions for months or even years to come. Just plant once and keep harvesting continuously!

Homegrown green onions also stay crisp and fresh much longer than store-bought bunches. And you can’t beat the convenience of having them right outside your kitchen door.

Two Ways to Grow

There are two easy methods for growing a constant supply of green onions at home.

The first is to simply plant green onion sets or transplants in the ground or raised bed like you would any other crop.

The second way is even easier – you can regrow green onions from the trimmed bottoms of store-bought bunches!

Both methods work very well, providing endless fresh onions with just a little simple care. Let’s look at each way in detail.

Growing from Sets or Transplants

For an in-ground green onion patch you’ll need:

• Green onion sets or transplants
• Well-draining soil
• Fertilizer or compost
• Full sun

1. Prepare a planting bed with loose, well-draining soil. Onions hate soggy soil. Mix in some fertilizer, compost or other organic matter.
2. Plant sets or transplants about 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart in rows 12-18 inches apart.
3. Water regularly, enough to keep the soil evenly moist but not soaked.
4. When greens are 6-8 inches tall, begin harvesting by snipping or twisting off the green tops, leaving about 2 inches of white shaft to regrow.
5. Keep harvesting like this continuously, and new shoots will emerge to be harvested again and again!
6. Feed every few weeks with a balanced fertilizer and keep well-weeded.

Following this method gives you a constant rotating cycle of new green onions to harvest, replant and regrow without end!

Regrowing from Scraps

The other amazingly easy way is to regrow green onions from cuttings in a container or sunny window! You’ll need:

• Green onion bottoms with roots attached
• A small pot, jar or cup
• Rocks, marbles or glass beads
• Water
• Sunny window or spot

1. Take cuttings 3-4 inches long from the root end of any green onions.
2. Let the cuttings sit out until the ends dry slightly to avoid rotting.
3. Fill a cup or jar with some decorative rocks, marbles or beads.
4. Set the cuttings root-down on the rocks, anchoring them in place with the decorative filler.
5. Add just enough water to cover the bottoms of the cuttings.
6. Place in a sunny window and refresh the water regularly.
7. New green shoots will quickly begin to emerge!
8. Once tall enough, start trimming the greens back to about 2 inches and they’ll regrow over and over.

Just a few trimmings can provide a constant supply of fresh green onions! Transplant the regrowing bulbs to a pot with soil if desired.

Harvesting and Storage

For the longest possible harvests, use this method:

1. When green tops are 6-8 inches tall, trim off the greens about 1-2 inches from the white base using clean scissors or shears.
2. Avoid bruising the white bottoms, as this portion needs to remain to keep regrowing.
3. Store unwashed greens wrapped in a damp paper towel in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
4. Continue trimming tops at the 1-2 inch mark as they regrow, rotating around the planting to maintain a continuous supply.

With the right care and harvesting approach, one planting of green onions can provide non-stop harvests for the entire growing season or even longer.

Tips for Success

For maximum green onion abundance, follow these tips:

• Ensure at least 6 hours of direct sun per day. More sun equals more growth!
• Plant densely – 2 inches apart for bunching.
• Keep soil fertile by mixing in compost or applying balanced liquid fertilizer every 2-4 weeks.
• Weed regularly as weeds compete for moisture and nutrients.
• For transplants, bury about two thirds of the green top to encourage new rooting for thicker growth.
• Always harvest larger outer leaves first and leave the inner leaves to continue growing.
• Mulch and use row covers for winter harvests in cool regions.

With the right care, you’ll be harvesting homegrown green onions all season long! Their flavor and convenience make them one of the best and most rewarding crops for home gardeners.

Start this easy, replenishing crop today for endless green onion bounty!