If you have been wondering how to grow green onions from seed, then you’ve come to the right place. For anyone looking to start a little vegetable garden of their own, starting with green onions is a great option.
These onions have been around for more than 2000 years and date back to ancient China. Green onions are recorded in the ancient herbal text Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. It is said that these onions originate from Asia but have made their way all across the world.
Green Onions – The Health Benefits
It is no surprise that these peculiar-looking onions have spread across the world. The health benefits that they offer are numerous. Apart from being obvious sources of fiber, they also help lower diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol. They are known to be cancer-fighting agents and prevent infections in the body. It is no surprise that more people across the globe are using green onions in their diet.
Since these onions are so good for your health and easy to grow, the obvious thing to do is grow them in your backyard. In this article, we will teach you how to grow green onions from seed, with all the necessary precautions that need to be taken to grow a healthy plant.
Requirements To Grow Green Onions
Soil: Green onion seeds needs soil that is at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil requirements for green onion seeds aren’t too stringent; they require average, well-drained soil. Well-drained soil allows water to flow through without allowing any water to pool or puddle. The temperature requirement is important, so make sure the soil is warm enough, so you have a healthy harvest.
Sun Exposure: The plant requires full 6 hours a day of sunlight.
Water: Green onions require constant watering to keep the soil moist since the root system of the green onions isn’t strong enough to absorb water deep from the soil.
How To Grow Green Onions
So you’ve gotten green onion seeds, and now it’s time to plant them. Like we’ve mentioned above, the first thing to check is the soil. The soil needs to be warm enough to plant the seeds. Also, make sure the soil has enough organic fertilizer mixed into it. Green onions aren’t high maintenance as all they need is well-drained soil and some organic fertilizer.
Planting Phase
You can now plant the seeds in the soil. Because green onions don’t require much horizontal growing area, they can be planted relatively close by. The recommended spacing between each seed you plant is 3″ (10cm).
Once the seeds have been planted in the soil, you need to make sure the soil is evenly moist. Moisture is especially important during the germination phase.
Now that the seeds have been planted, you will notice that the green plant will slowly appear above the soil after a few days. The green plant above the soil indicates that your seed has successfully germinated and is now on its way to becoming a green onion.
Taking Care Of Your Green Onion Plant
Now that the plant has started to grow, you need to take care of it until harvest.
The first thing that needs to be monitored is the water content of the soil. Because green onion doesn’t have an extensive root system, it can’t absorb water from deep in the soil. So you will have to water the soil and keep it moist. Also, make sure not to water the plant too much; if the buried bulb of the green onion has water puddled over it, there are chances for diseases to affect the plant.
Watch Out For Weeds
Once you’ve understood how much water to give to the plant and how often, the next thing is to look out for weeds. Weeds are just unwanted plants that need to be removed immediately as they will deplete the nutrients from the soil and weaken the green onion plant. You can apply mulch around the plant to prevent weed growth. Mulch is just organic material: tree bark, wood chips, leaves, moss, and pine straw.
Mulch has many other benefits as well; it helps maintain soil moisture, improves the fertility of the soil, and prevents weed growth.
Beware Of Those Insects And Pests
You will also have to look for pests like; nematodes, slugs, and thrips. These pests feed on plants and destroy the harvest. A way to look out for these pests is to observe your green onion plant for brown spots or tunnels made in the plant.
These are the basics for growing and maintaining the green onion plant. Below we will talk about how to harvest the plant.
Harvesting Your Green Onion Plant
So now your green onions are all grown up. But how do you know when it’s time for them to be picked? Well, it’s simple- if the green onions’ leaves are the size of a pencil, then they’re ready to be picked. And as a general rule, the green onions are ready to be picked after 4-5 weeks of planting.
The way to harvest the green onion is easy. You can pluck the plant out of the ground. If you want to regrow the plant, carefully trim till the green top two inches above the root. This way, the root stays in the soil, and the plant will regrow, giving you more stalks to use.
Now you can enjoy your freshly grown green onions
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Final Thoughts
We hope this article has helped you start your journey as a green onion grower. Green onions are simple and easy to grow. With its numerous health benefits, it is worth the effort. So what are you waiting for? Get your green onion seeds now.
How To Grow Green Onions From Seed FAQs:
So, I put the onion seed in the soil and watered it. Why did it just rot?
The conditions were perfect for germination but your seeds might have rotted because you overwatered them. So keep the soil moistened but not waterlogged at all times. If you don’t see any green sprout after a week, maybe your seeds just didn’t germinate or did not have successful germination.
Does the green onion seed need any special light to germinate?
No, it does not require extra lighting for it to grow. It can be grown indoors and outdoors under direct sunlight or indirect light from a lamp. If you want to make it grow faster, keep it in the sunlight so that the green onion seed can absorb energy from the sun.
Soil temperature also needs to be taken into consideration when you are planting your green onion seeds.
How long does it take for the green onion seed to germinate?
This depends on how healthy your seeds are, the soil temperature, and how moist the soil is. Usually, they will start sprouting in 7 days or so but sometimes it can take up to a month if some conditions are not satisfied.
Green onion seed is very sensitive to temperature, humidity, and moisture!
