Did you know that with one simple green onion stalk, you’ll be able to regrow a ton of NEW plants? You’ll never need to buy green onions again! Keep reading for our easy guide to regrow green onions from kitchen scraps!
Green onions, or scallions, are sold in the stores with a root end. While you usually chop this off before cutting them up to add to your recipes, this can be used to regrow your own green onions!
Instead of tossing the scraps, hang on to them! You are just a few steps away from not needing to buy green onions ever again!
Getting Started
The next time you buy a bunch of green onions, don’t throw away the bulbs!
When cooking, you would usually cut off the bulb end and use the stalks. However, if you keep the bulb end, you can replant it and grow new scallions over and over!
You can regrow them two ways:
- Indoors — in a container of water
- Outdoors — in soil
We’ll show you how to do both!
What is the Difference Between Green Onions and Scallions?
In this post you may see us you the terms green onion and scallion interchangeably. That’s because they are the same plant!
Scallions are simply green onions that are harvested young. Their bulb is slim and less round.
When green onions are more mature, their bulb will grow larger and rounder.
Both will work for this re-growing technique!
How to Regrow Green Onions from Cuttings
Save the root end of the green onion stalk. You’ll need at least an inch to plant.
How to Grow Green Onions in Water
- Place green onion stalk with roots in a small container, so that it stays upright.
- Add just enough water to fully cover the roots and leave the top edge of the stalk above the water line.
- Keep the container in a place where the plants will receive sunlight.
- Add and/or replace water as needed.
- In a few days, you’ll start to see new green shoots growing from the stalks.
How to Grow Green Onions in Soil
Use the back of a wooden spoon (or something similar) to dig a hole in the ground that is about an inch deep.
Place the green onion into the small hole you dug, so that the top of the plant sticks out of the dirt. Gently pat the the dirt around the onion shoot so that it is secure.
Green onions will grow quickly, and after a couple of days, you will start to see new green shoots!
Once they’ve grown to be at least six inches long, trim the shoots, and leave the bulbs in the ground.
Your green onions will continue to produce green onion stalks over and over from the same bulb!
How Long Does it Take Green Onions to Grow?
One of the reasons green onions are a wonderful starter plant for beginning gardeners is that they grow easily and quickly.
When starting from a bulb with roots, as shown here, you’ll start to see new growth almost immediately.
With proper care, you should have enough stalk to trim and use within a couple weeks.
How Long Do Scallions Grow?
Essentially, you can regrow green onions over and over indefinitely. If you cook with green onions often, you may want to plant a few bunches so that you can rotate which plants that you cut from, giving them time to regenerate.
My green onions have been in the ground for about a year now. I cut regularly and I haven’t needed to replant so far! Just take a look at our herb garden now:
Related: How to Make Fresh Cut Herbs Last Longer
More Tips for Growing Green Onions
- Make sure that you keep the roots of your green onions submerged in water or dirt at all times.
- If growing in water, make sure that you change the water at least once a week to avoid mold developing in your container!
- You can use a jar, container, small pot, or a container garden of your choice, make sure that you leave it near a windowsill to get some sunlight!
- For best results, we recommend the soil method if possible. This allows bette longevity and less maintenance.
More Foods You Can Regrow
Also check out this awesome list of 15 Foods You Can Regrow from Scraps!