Harvest the bunches when they reach spring onion size.
If left too long they will run to seed and will not be nice to eat
Seeds need a frost in order to germinate.
Direct sow outdoors in fall before last frost, sow indoors during winter in a greenhouse or coldframe, or sow outdoors before the last frost.
Or sow in early spring. Sow thinly and mark the row as they take a few weeks to germinate
By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Bunching onion about 28 days before your last frost date .
If module planted – transplant one module (should be 4 – 5 baby plants) every 9 cm or so.
If sown direct, thin carefully, using the thinning even though they may be tiny. Allow the individual plants room to grow
Make successive sowings every 4-6 weeks.
Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Bunching onion is a very hardy plant.8-12 weeks from planting, when young and tender.
Harvest as required, best used fresh
Seed viability is one year.
These estimates for how long Bunching onion takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.
Average 11 days | Min 2 days | Max 37 days (364)
Average 37 days | Min 3 days | Max 120 days (30)
Average 137 days | Min 3 days | Max 295 days (104)
Our when to plant Bunching onion estimates are relative to your last frost date.
In Chinese herbal medicine, the scallion is given to encourage sweating, unblock the nose, relieve bloating, and drain boils and abscesses2.
Spring onion
A. fistulosum
Misspellings: Spring onions, Allium fitulosum, Allium fistulum
1 Oyen, L.P.A. & Messiaen, C.-M., 2004. Allium fistulosum L. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands:http://database.prota.org/search.htm
2 :The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants: A Practical Reference Guide to over 550 Key Herbs and Their Medicinal Uses; Andrew Chevallier; published 1996