Re-growing Spring Onions

Having a ready supply of Spring onions in your home makes it easy to enhance many a meal. They especially go well with baked potatoes. Here's how to regrow your own from purchased spring onions so you have a ready supply to use whenever required. They are surprisingly easy to re-grow.

Spring onions

1. Select spring onions which still have roots attached.
2. Cut the base off about an inch and a half from the bottom.
3. Place is water for three to four days to promote stem growth.
4. Plant out into soil.

Spring onions can be used to add flavour and texture when cooking. They are great when added to mashed potatoes

More recipe ideas:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/spring-onion-recipes

Adding spring onions to a baked potato, along with a dob of butter, turns the dial up to eleven.

Planting is easy, just poke a hole into the soil, insert the roots, cover with soil and give some water. I am growing them in a planter box attached to the inside of my balcony railing.

These spring onions were cut too close to the base when planted out. These ones will take longer to grow (if at all) than if 1 - 1 1/2 inch of stalk had been left.

To make the spring onions sprout quicker, after cutting about an inch and a half from the base, place in water to promote growth. The photos show growth after 1 day and 5 days. After 3-5 days, plant into soil. As can be seen - if they are cut at the very bottom, regrowth will take considerably longer.

Here's the difference after 10 days. The ones cut too short are only just starting to grow. While the ones cut an inch and a half from the base and then soaked in water for 5 days before planting out are well on their way.

The third photo shows growth after 4 weeks - spring onions steams are ready to be used.

After 4 weeks growth some of the steams were cut and added to mash potatoes. This made the potatoes more flavoursome.

The number one vegetable to grow in planters is Silver Beet, It's the 'Boarder Collie' of vegetables and delivers. I grew some from seeds and have been just breaking off a leaf from the base of each plant by twisting and tearing it when required. This way the leaves keep growing and you keep having a ready supply at hand. Goes well as a side to scrambled eggs in the morning.

Parsley also grows well from seed. I have planted some spring onions seeds and while they are growing well, just planting the cut off base as described above appears to be better.

I was keeping the planters watered using a series of 2-liter plastic bottles of filled water, until I purchased a 9-liter plastic watering can - far better than having to fill up multiple plastic bottles all the time.

A couple of days ago I purchased an Automatic Watering System for Potted Plants with a Programmable Timer, I am hopeful it will keep the plants watered while I am away for a couple of weeks on holiday. https://amzn.asia/d/2G0PiE2