How to Grow Spring Onions

Whatever you choose to call them, be it Spring Onion or Green Onion, it doesn't change the fact that they're a versatile kitchen ingredient. The leaves are used to impart a delicious, but mild Onion flavour. Add them fresh to salads or toss them into stir-fries. They're incredibly easy to grow from seeds in pots or garden beds and will provide you with a long-lasting crop. 

Spring Onions will happily grow in all parts of Australia. In tropical and sub-tropical climates, they can be grown year-round, but for warm and cool temperate zones, it's best to plant from early spring to autumn. Position in full sun but protect from the hot afternoon sun to prevent the leaves from wilting and burning.

Spring Onions prefer a well-drained, slightly acidic soil (pH 5-6), but are fairly adaptable and will grow in a pH up to 7. Prior to planting, improve the soil with plenty of organic matter, like Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. If growing in pots, choose a pot at least 200 mm wide and deep and fill with Yates Premium Potting Mix.

Feed Spring Onions regularly throughout the season with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food.

Water regularly to help keep the soil moist, but not wet. Additional watering will be required on hotter days during summer.

Leaves can be snipped in as little as three weeks from planting. Continue to harvest throughout the season, as more leaves will continue to grow. Winter frosts are likely to kill the plant, but you can start planting a new crop once the weather warms.

Aphids love Spring Onions. They're sap-sucking insects that can be found crowded along the leaves. They're usually the dark black form, so it makes them easy to spot, but this may not always be the case, as they can also be translucent green or peachy pink. To control Aphids, spray with Yates Nature's Way Vegie & Herb Spray. Thrips can also be a nuisance, and while they're hard to see, a tell-tale sign is small, white spots on the leaves. You can also use Yates Nature's Way Vegie & Herb Spray to help control them.Young seedlings are susceptible to Snail and Slug attack. Control them with Yates Snail & Slug Bait, which is suitable for use with vegetables.

Downy Mildew can sometimes be a problem but can be treated at first sight with Yates Liquid Copper Fungicide.

Choose a spot in the garden that receives full sun. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. If the soil is clay based, add gypsum and fork in well.

Make a furrow about 6 mm deep and sprinkle Yates Spring Onion Seeds over the furrow. Cover seeds lightly with soil.

Water in to keep the soil moist. To help retain moisture, apply an organic mulch, like sugarcane or pea straw over the sown area.

Once they have sprouted (about 10 to 14 days), thin out the seedlings, so that the plant space is about 5 cm apart and space between rows is 15 cm.

Water regularly throughout the growing season and feed every few weeks with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food.

Harvest by snipping the leaves as required. Alternatively, if you prefer to use the entire plant, pull it out after 8 to 10 weeks.

For a continuous crop, sow seeds every week for a few weeks.

Choose a pot at least 200 mm deep. Position in full sun and fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix.

Make a furrow about 6 mm deep and sprinkle Yates Spring Onion Seeds over the furrow. Cover seeds lightly with Yates Seed Raising Mix.

Water in well with a watering can fitted with a rose or hose set to a gentle shower or mist mode.

Water regularly throughout the growing season and feed every few weeks with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food.

Harvest by snipping the leaves as required. Alternatively, if you prefer to use the entire plant, pull it out after 8 to 10 weeks.

For a continuous crop, sow seeds every week for a few weeks.

• Avoid over-watering, especially while they are germinating, to avoid seed rot. 
• Young seedlings are susceptible to Snail and Slug attack. Control them with Yates Snail & Slug Bait, which is suitable for use with vegetables.

Spring Onions regrow easily from 'cuttings', which are actually root divisions. If you have ever bought Spring Onions from the supermarket, you can avoid any excess from going to waste by replanting them.

Wash the roots or the white part of the stem and cut back the leaves by two-thirds.

Prepare the garden bed or pot. Dig a small hole and insert the spring onion into the hole, until the white part of the stem is covered. Backfill with soil.

Water in with Yates Dynamic Lifter Liquid Concentrate to help reduce transplant shock and help the plant establish faster.

After a few weeks, new leaves should appear, and they will be ready for harvest.

Feed regularly with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food to boost growth and maximise the harvest.