Scallions

Vegetable · cool season · also called green onion, spring onion, bunching onion

A bundle of long white-and-green scallions
Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

When to plant

  • Sow seeds outdoors about 4 weeks before your average last spring frost.
  • It can also be grown as a fall crop, timed back from your first fall frost.
  • Ready to harvest about 60 days after planting.
  • Sow again every 3 weeks for a steady harvest.

Sow thickly in bands; harvest as needed.

Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.

Growing basics

Harmful to pets. Every part is toxic to cats and dogs, raw or cooked. It damages their red blood cells.

Sun
Part sun (4–6 hours)
Spacing
1–2 in
Soil temperature
At least 45°F
Time to harvest
About 60 days
Containers
At least 1 gallons
Plant family
Onion family (alliums)
Harvest per plant
About 0.05 lb
Seeds keep
About 1 year

Companions

Keep apart: the bean and pea family (legumes). Onions and garlic can stunt beans and peas.

Keep apart: Asparagus. Onions and garlic can stunt asparagus.

Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.

Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.

Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.

Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.

Pests and problems

Grow it well

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