Grow Spring Onions: Plant this Precious Source of Minerals and Bring to Table in Just Eight Weeks!

Spring is in its beginning and the gardens are covered with fine greenery and lovely flowers. Your body, woken up from the winter, wants to receive some vitamins and minerals from the spring green plants. Of course, it’s time to remember the so precious, though simple, spring onion, source of iron for your blood. If you haven’t sawed your onion, there is still time left to get a crop started. The best time to do this is right now, if you want soon to have its green stems and white bulbs in your salad. This healthy and delicious addition for many dishes is easy to grow in the garden or at home. We’ve already found out from gardening specialists how to grow spring onions for the best result. So, now we will show you some important tips on growing spring onion to get a tasty crop in eight weeks.

What is a spring onion?

There are some varieties of onion, and two of them are the most popular – spring onion and green onion (also called scallions). Spring onion is a thin, smallish plant with straight green leaves, growing up to 12 in (30 cm). Green onion has the same leaves, and the only difference with spring onion is that the latter has a white bulb at the root that grows larger and larger while the plant matures. All the parts of spring onion are edible, including the bulb.

Also read: Plant Winter Onions in the Fall: Instructions for Proper Cultivation in the Garden and in Containers

What is the secret in growing spring onions?

The best way to grow spring onions is from seeds. They are sown directly into the ground, specially prepared and cleared from weeds, in advance. Removing the other plants is an important step, as spring onion seedlings look just like many emerging from the ground grassy weeds. After you have finished the cleaning of your planting surface, break all the lumps of soil and rake over till the soil is fine.

How and when to grow spring onion successfully?

At last, it’s time to sow the seeds in rows, into 0.4-0.8 in (1-2 cm) deep drills, and 4 in (10 cm) distance between the rows. Now, having arranged in this way rows, it is rather easier to differentiate the seedlings from the weeds, when they start to emerge. Sow the seeds thinly, the experts advise, the distance between the plants should be about 1 in (2.5 cm). You can plant seeds from March to September. What a great range of possibilities!

The best conditions for to grow spring onions

Spring onion is a versatile plant and therefore easy to care for. It will grow well in any kind of well-drained soil. Onions should be planted in an open area with lots of sun shining, and that’s almost all their needs. Spring onions do not require much moisture, that’s why you should water them only when the soil is entirely dry. In dry areas, in most cases mulching would be enough to keep the onion from drying out.

How to grow spring onions from seed?

The seeds are sown directly into the patch for vegetables in the garden. When you sow the seeds in spring to early summer, you’ll have young onions after eight weeks. If you sow later, in autumn, the plants will overwinter, producing large bulbs the next early spring. There is also another way to grow spring onions – some garden centers sell spring onions in trays ready to be planted.

Care for spring onions, growing in containers

Spring onions grow perfectly in containers, placed on different parts of the garden. The containers may be arranged near the fence or around the garden pathways. Garden experts also suggest a solution on how to grow spring onions in pots at home. The pots should have enough drainage holes. Place them on the suitable windowsill with access to the sunlight.

Manage the spring onions mildew

Onion downy mildew is a common fungal disease that often occurs when growing spring onion. The disease may appear when growing the spring onion outside or inside in pots. This mildew fungi infect the bulb and damages it. This happens mostly when the soil is too damp. The onion mildew can be prevented with good drainage, which is most important for the spring onion.

How to grow spring onions from their tips?

You may regrow spring onions from the tips of bought or harvested in your garden plants. The procedure is possible when the spring onion parts are with roots. Trim 1 in (2.5 cm) off the root tip and put the plant part in a shallow pot with water. The stem should be just above the water surface. In a few days, you’ll notice new growth sprouting from the root. When the new stems are long enough, plant the sprouted roots in a container or directly into the ground outside. The holes should be deep enough to accommodate the roots, leaving the new sprouts above the soil surface.