Green onions, also known as scallions, reward home growers with the pungent flavor of onions in far less time than it takes to bring a bulb onion to maturity. The slender, long vegetables consist mainly of the above-ground parts of conventional onion plants. Choose from "sets," or pea-sized bulblets, of red, white or yellow onion varieties to grow scallions. Harvest the entire plant before it has a chance to form a bulb.
Create a garden bed in your backyard if you don't have an established garden. Remove grass and weeds from an area that is at least 12 to 18 inches square. Even this small footprint will allow you to establish up to a dozen plants.
Lay a 4-inch layer of compost on the surface of the soil in the bed.
Scatter a thin layer of blood meal on top of the compost -- about one handful for every 10 square feet of garden bed.
Work the amendments into into the top 6 to 8 inches of the garden bed. Remove any stones or debris you find as you loosen and enrich the soil.
Plant green onion sets 1 inch deep, at a spacing of 1 to 2 inches within each row. If you are establishing more than one row, space the rows 12 inches apart. In Mediterranean climates, green onion sets may be planted in early April.
Water the garden bed thoroughly after planting.
Thin green onions to 2 inches apart, if needed, when they are about 3 inches high.
Mulch between plants after they emerge from the ground and have been thinned. Small-sized mulch pieces such as finely ground bark or sawdust may be easier to establish between the closely growing plants than longer pieces like straw.
Continue to water the green onion patch regularly. The plants require an evenly moist soil.
Harvest green onions after three to four weeks. Pull the entire plant from the ground -- the below-ground part should not yet have formed a bulb.
Things You Will Need
- Blood meal
- Garden hose or drip irrigation system
- Add garden lime to your garden bed if you wish to bring a more mellow taste to your green onions. Lime neutralizes acidic soil, which brings out the stronger side of onions. Simple soil test kits are available at garden centers, or you may opt to send a soil sample to your local extension service or to a professional testing site.
- If a traditional garden isn't practical in your backyard, grown green onions in containers on a deck or patio, Choose a container that is at least 6 inches deep. Grow as many green onions as the pot can hold -- about one for as many inches in diameter -- or use them to edge a larger, central plant.
- Don't plant green onions in garden or container soil in which you've previously raised onions or garlic. The soil can harbor diseases to which scallions are also susceptible.
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