How to grow Bunching Onion

Allium fistulosum

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

Growing Bunching onion from seed

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

Look to ensure a distance 0.86 inches (2.2 cm) between seeds when sowing - bury at a depth of at least 0.23 inches (0.6 cm) deep. Soil temperature should be kept higher than 13°C / 55°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Bunching onion about 28 days before your last frost date .

Transplanting Bunching onion

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.

Harvesting Bunching onion

8-12 weeks from planting, when young and tender.
Harvest as required, best used fresh

Seed Saving Bunching onion

Seed viability is one year.

How long does Bunching onion take to grow?

These estimates for how long Bunching onion takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Days to Germination How long does it take Bunching onion to germinate?
11 days

Average 11 days | Min 2 days | Max 37 days (364)

Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out Bunching onion?
+ 37 days

Average 37 days | Min 3 days | Max 120 days (30)

Days to Maturity How long until Bunching onion is ready for harvest / bloom?
+ 137 days

Average 137 days | Min 3 days | Max 295 days (104)

Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow Bunching onion?
= 185 days

When should I plant Bunching onion?

Our when to plant Bunching onion estimates are relative to your last frost date.

When to sow The number of days to sow Bunching onion before or after your last frost date.
28 days before Last Frost Date

Bunching onion Folklore & Trivia

In Chinese herbal medicine, the scallion is given to encourage sweating, unblock the nose, relieve bloating, and drain boils and abscesses2.

Other names for Bunching onion

Spring onion

A. fistulosum

Misspellings: Spring onions, Allium fitulosum, Allium fistulum

Footnotes

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


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