Grow Spring Onions

Spring onions are a mild onion that can be eaten raw in salads or used as a substitute for standard onion varieties when you desire a less pungent taste. They are closely related to green onions and scallions, but unlike these other varieties, spring onions have a distinct bulb. Growing spring onions from bulbs or "sets" is often easiest, but you can also grow them by seed.

Steps

Prepare the Soil

  1. Select an open area in your garden that receives plenty of sunlight. Spring onions do not have strict requirements for sunlight, but they do need at least partial sun in order to grow.
  2. Break up the soil in your garden. Spring onions thrive in loose soil that drains well. Clay-based soil or other heavy, dense soils may not work well. You can use a trowel to break up the soil on the day you sow your onions, or you can accomplish this gradually by raking over the plot every day for several weeks in advance.
  3. Add a fertilizer to your soil. A general fertilizer should work, but you may also wish to use an organic fertilizer if you are concerned about the potential effects of consuming garden chemicals. Dig it into the soil as you break it up.
  4. Test the pH of your soil. Use litmus paper or another testing kit to determine how acidic or neutral your soil is. Onions need a pH range of 6 to 7.5 in order to grow.
    • Drop the pH by digging in manure or compost.
    • Raise the pH by adding ground agricultural lime into the soil.

Growing from Seed

  1. Sow your seeds at any point in time between March and July. Spring onion seeds germinate best when the weather is moderate. Wait until after the last frost has passed for the season, but do not procrastinate until the hottest days of summer.
  2. Dig short, shallow rows. The rows should be no more than 1/2 inch (1.5 centimeters) deep and spaced 4 inches (10 centimeters) to 6 inches (15 centimeters) apart.
  3. Drop the seeds into the rows. Space the seeds approximately 1 inch (25 millimeters) apart in order to allow the onions enough room to grow and mature.
  4. Loosely cover the seeds with soil. Use just enough soil to fill in the rows so that the seeds are protected against the elements and natural predators, like birds.
  5. Alternatively, scatter seeds across the patch without digging rows. Keep them scattered thinly, and rake them into the soil upon finishing. Cover these seeds with 1/2 inch (1.5 centimeters) of soil.
  6. Continue sowing seeds after each harvest throughout the growing season. You can sow seeds along the same rows or scatter the seed without using rows.
  7. Sow a winter-hardy variety in late summer or early autumn, sometime around August or early September. These spring onions will take longer to grow, and they will be ready for harvest around March or May.

Growing from Sets

  1. Plant your sets anytime between spring and early summer. Wait until after the last frost but before the intense summer heat.
  2. Dig a row of small holes spaced at least 1 inch (25 millimeters) apart. Each hole should be just large enough to fit one bulb.
  3. Prepare as many rows as you desire. Space the rows anywhere from 4 inches (10 centimeters) to 6 inches (15 centimeters) apart.
  4. Place one bulb into each hole. The neck of the bulb must face upward since the edible greens will shoot out from the neck.
  5. Pack additional soil around the bulb to hold it in place. The neck of the bulb should remain exposed, however, because it needs direct exposure to sunlight in order to grow.

Daily Care and Harvest

  1. Make sure your spring onions receive plenty of water. If you end up experiencing a dry spell, you will need to water your crop, especially if the dirt looks notably dry and cracked. Sprinkle your spring onions with water from a watering can or with a hose set to a light shower setting.
    • If the weather is moderate to wet, however, additional watering is not necessary.
  2. Keep the area free from weeds. The more weeds your garden has, the more your onions will have to compete with them for nutrients and moisture. The strongest spring onions will grow in a weed-free space.
    • Pull or snip weeds by hand instead of applying a broad chemical weed-killer. Weed-killers could affect the roots of your onions, and many chemical weed-killers are not safe for consumption.
  3. Lay mulch down. Mulch will retain moisture and prevent your the soil from drying out too quickly. It also chokes many weeds, preventing them from competing for resources. Apply the mulch around your bulbs, but do not cover them.
  4. Apply a water soluble, liquid fertilizer as needed. Ordinarily, spring onions mature quickly enough and heartily enough to avoid fertilizer use. If the weather is particularly dry and uncooperative, however, you may need to apply a fertilizer when you water your starved onions to provide them with a boost of nutrients.
  5. Monitor your plants for pest problems. Spring onions mature quickly, so they do not suffer from pests as frequently as other onion varieties do. If you do notice pests, however, apply an organic pesticide to the infested crop to kill or ward them off.
  6. Watch out for signs of disease. Spring onions do not fall victim to disease very often, but neck rot and white rot can occasionally grow on the bulbs.
    • If these types of mold develop, remove the infected onions to prevent the disease from spreading to healthy ones.
  7. Harvest your spring onions as you need them. Spring onions are usually ready to eat once they reach 6 inches (15 centimeters) in height with a thickness of about 1/2 inch (1.5 centimeters).
    • You can allow your spring onions to continue growing past this point, but you should pull them once they reach a diameter of 1 inch (25 millimeters). Otherwise, the flavor may be altered, and the onions will face a greater risk of pest infestation or disease.
  8. Pull out the entire onion. If you planted your spring onions by set, the bulb will have shrunk by this point, since all the energy has gone into the greens.
  9. Remove any rotted set. Many spring onions planted by set actually develop a ring of decay at the base of the bulb. If this occurs, trim off the decayed portion with a sharp knife or shears as you pull the onions up.



Tips

  • You can also grow spring onions indoors. Space potted spring onions 1 inch apart in a clean, medium-sized pot or container filled with potting soil. Provide your spring onions with the same basic care you give them outdoors.

Warnings

  • Be mindful about any chemicals you put on your spring onions. Many fertilizers and pesticides can be harmful if consumed, which may make them unsafe to use on crops you plan to eat.

Things You'll Need

  • Rake
  • Trowel
  • Fertilizer
  • Litmus paper or pH tester
  • Compost or manure
  • Agricultural lime
  • Spring onion seeds
  • Spring onion sets
  • Watering can or hose
  • Mulch
  • Pesticide

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Sources and Citations

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