Spring Onion is easy to start.
We grew them in both liquid and soil mediums.
ROOTING ONION
There are many methods to grow spring onion, but we preferred to see roots first before planting.
First, we choose a relatively firm onion.
A medium to big size is good because they have more rounds of harvest before the bulb shrinks.
Tip – Soak roots side in water, 1 hour
This onion must fit the cup’s opening exactly to seal access to water, thus reducing mosquitoes’ breeding risk.
After one hour, reduce the water level, while the onion still rests in the cup’s opening.
New roots will appear within one week.
By reducing the water level, the bulb is not soaked, thus there is no bulb rot.
Only the tip of new roots reached the water.
Tip 2 – Snip off one thin layer of top side allow new shoots to come up easier
We use a cup in cup method to hold the onion and sealed access to the reservoir.
The inner cup, which holds the onion, has holes at the base and sides to allow water to enter.
This is a self-watering container without mosquitoes breeding risk.
It is also easy to refill by taking out the inner cup without dislodging the onion.
The more we harvest spring onion from this bulb, the smaller it will become.
Before long, the cup will no longer be able to hold the shrinking onion securely.
To continue to grow in liquid, we may need to use netcup + sponge to hold the onion steady and sealed access to the reservoir.
In a windy environment, tape across the netcup secured it more firmly as there is a “flight risk”!
GROWING IN SOIL METHOD
Growing in soil is relatively easy. The bulb can be buried or plant halfway in soil.
TIP – DO NOT OVER-WATER or LET BULB SITS IN VERY MOST MEDIUM
It was observed that soil-based plants have more robust growth than our liquid-based.
Harvest fresh off the plants as needed.
At home, we mostly used spring onions for baked potatoes (with sour cream) or for steamed fish.
Spring Onion + Flowers
Spring Onions left unharvested will bolt, giving out seeds when it dried on the plant.
Our favorite meal with spring onion is homemade Chinese dumpling.
We used them in the filling with chives and minced meat.
Homemade dumplings are the best meal and we made them from scratch for pleasure-filled meals at home.
For a non-fuss dough, this is our method –
- 2 Cup Plain Flour
- 1 Cup Self Raising Flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Warm water as needed to form the dough (adjust as necessary)
- A ready dough is not sticky