How to Grow Spring Onions in Your Garden: Everything You Need to Know

Ready to add a fragment of freshness to your garden? Learn how to grow your spring onions effortlessly! Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, cultivating these flavorful delights is a breeze.

So, how to grow spring onions in your garden? Pick out the right type first, then pick any time between March and August. Dig 6 to 8 inches into the ground, add organic matter, and place them 6 to 8 inches apart. If the top inch of soil is dry, give them a lot of water. Then, to harvest them, grab the root and pull it out.

Nevertheless, knowing all these in detail is vital to successfully growing spring onions. Furthermore, other factors, such as diseases to look out for, will help you achieve healthy spring onions. Let’s start.

Choosing The Right Type Of Spring Onion To Grow

The first step to growing spring onions in your garden is choosing the right one for you. Nevertheless, the possibilities can seem infinite when deciding which spring onion varieties to grow. 

Every variety offers a unique flavor, look, and growth qualities, making choosing the types difficult. Let’s look at some regularly planted spring onion varieties and their distinguishing characteristics so you can decide what to plant.

White Lisbon

White Lisbon spring onions are renowned for their sweetness and a gentle touch of onion sharpness. They usually produce small, white bulbs with vibrant green tops, which can enhance the beauty of any garden bed. 

White Lisbon varieties are highly adaptable to different growing conditions, making them great for gardeners of all experience levels. They are also used extensively in the kitchen for fresh salad and cooking dishes.

Evergreen Hardy White

If you live in the colder parts of the USA, evergreen hardy white is a great option. Even if it snows in your area, these onions can take up frosts at ease and survive in cold temperatures.

Nevertheless, when it comes to taste, it is quite similar to White Lisbon which is delicately sweet. 

Red Beard

If you plan to grow onions that can be used in dishes and enhance your garden looks, Red Beard is the way to go. However, they are less sweet than Evergreen Hardy White and White Lisbon.

On the other hand, their growth is exponential compared to other spring onion varieties. Overall, Red Beard has made its name for visual appeal and garden beds.

Tokyo Long White

Rather than being sweet like other spring onions, the Tokyo Long White is more of a pungent vegetable. Its striking red stems make it unique, effortlessly leading to delicate white bulbs, which bring a lively element to both garden beds and culinary dishes.

On the other hand, their growth is upright, making them a stunning choice for compact gardens. So, if you have a tight garden with limited space, Tokyo Long White can be your go-to choice.

Nebuka Evergreen

Nebuka Evergreen spring onions are loved for their mild, sweet taste and a hint of spicy goodness. They have medium-sized bulbs with lush dark green tops, making them good for visually appealing gardens.

However, they are slow-growing comparatively and can survive to heat more than others.

Best Time of the Year to Sow Spring Onions

Knowing when to sow your spring onions can help you achieve healthy ones. Perfectly placed in season will allow these veggies to get the adequate temperature and climate they need. 

In the US, the best time to sow spring onions is between March and August. That means early spring and mid-summer are perfect for planting spring onions. This allows the onions to establish themselves and develop before the weather warms up too much.

Step-By-Step Guide: How to Grow Spring Onions in Your Garden

Now that you have selected your desired spring onion seeds, it’s time to plant them. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to grow them in your garden.

Step 1: Soil Preparation

Use a garden fork to break up the dirt to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Remove any weeds, rocks, or other obstacles to growth, and add organic matter like compost or old manurehttps://sunnyveggie.com/plant-growth-benefits-of-compost-in-soil/ to make the soil more fertile and improve its structure.

On the other hand, ensure that the is between 6.0 and 7.5. Spring onions thrive well in these conditions.

Step 2: Planting

You have two options for planting: directly sowing the seeds or transplanting them from containers to your garden. To start from seeds, plant them straight into the prepared soil, making small spaces 6 inches apart. Lightly cover the seeds with dirt and water them gently to ensure the soil sticks to the seeds well.

On the other hand, for transplants, they should be planted 1 inch deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in rows or groups. After planting, give the soil around the roots a lot of water to settle.

Step 3: Maintenance

Maintenance is key to enjoying spring onions straight from your garden and on your plates. So water them deeply when the top inch feels dry. However, don’t waterlog the soil by overwatering.

On the flip side, even though spring onions don’t need much food, they will grow better if you give them balanced fertilizer every 4 to 6 weeks while they are growing.

Lastly, cover the base of your spring onions with organic mulch, such as shredded leaves or grass clippings, to keep the soil wet and balance out the temperature.

Step 4: Harvesting

Depending on your tastes, you can pick spring onions at different stages of growth. If you want young, soft onions with a mild taste, pick them when the bulbs are about the size of a pen.

However, if you prefer a strong flavor, let the onions grow longer before you pick them.

You can remove the spring onions by grabbing the base and slowly pulling it from the ground.

Spring Onion Diseases To Look Out For

Plant diseases are dangerous and can ruin all your hard work at once. Being aware of these diseases is important to ensure the healthy growth of your spring onions.

White Rot

White rot caused by fungus severely damages spring onions. It manifests as leaves turning yellow and fading, which causes the bulb and roots to rot. Crops should be rotated, and infected materials should be cleaned up to stop the spread of the disease.

Downy Mildew

The virus Peronospora destructor causes downy mildew, which shows up on leaves as yellowish-green spots that turn brown and papery over time. To avoid getting downy mildew, plant in soil that drains well, don’t water from above and use labeled fungicides for that purpose.

Key Takeaway

Growing spring onions in your garden is a satisfying journey from seed to harvest. They taste great and are always fresh. So, choose the variety that fits your needs and the early spring to mid-summer to plant these.

Nevertheless, being aware of the diseases is crucial to enjoying these fresh onions. Since this disease can affect your onions in no time, it’s important that you keep a good eye on them. Furthermore, take action as soon as you see the symptoms.