Green Onion Benefits and Growing Tips

I just bought my Walla Walla sweet onion sets, some shallots (which were $6.99/lb at Market of Choice so I decided that I would grow my own), and green onions.  I am all ready to plant them, but I thought I better figure out HOW!!

I use a lot of shallots or green onions in my cooking for a little flavor and color, but I never realized they were so good for me.  Here is a little poster that explains some of their benefits.

 

GROWING GREEN ONIONS -- TIPS AND TRICKS
These tips come from the Veggie Gardner Website.

 

Green Onions have an almost unlimited amount of uses and are very easy to grow. Green onions can be grown from seed or as sets. I love green onions in soups, salads, on top of a nice steak, used as a baked potato topping, and many other ways. Green onions are also referred to as bunching onions, and have a milder onion taste than storage onions.

They are actually immature onions that are harvested before the bulb matures. The green onion features a dark green stem (also called scallions) and a white bulb with roots. Both parts of the onion are edible.  There are several different cultivars of green onion including, 'Evergreen Long White', 'Parade', and 'Red Baron' to name a few.

Planting Green Onions

Image from www.veggiegardner.com

Plant onion seed as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. Onion seeds germinate in a wide range of soil temperature, between 65° F and 86° F. 

Sow and cover seed with ½” of soil and keep moist. Seeds can be started indoors 6-8 weeks prior to planting. They can be set in the garden about 1-1½” apart. To plant onions sets, simply press sets into the soil about 2″ apart.

Onions benefit from full sun, a soil pH of 6.0-7.5 and a well drained soil with plenty of premium compost or well rotted manure added. Feed with a complete balanced fertilizer during the growing season.

Maintaining Green Onions

Once your green onions have sprouted become well established, they are pretty easy to maintain.
Green onions generally need about one inch of water per week. If green onions are grown in rows, or raised beds, soaker hoses can be used for irrigation. It’s also a good idea to mulch around the plants to conserve soil moisture and suppress weeds.

The soil should be moist, but not soggy. A great way to check to see if your green onions need watering is the finger test.  Simply stick your finger in the soil down to the second knuckle near the green onion plan. If the soil feels moist there is no need to water. If the soil feels dry go ahead and water well.  Repeat the finger test once a week depending on how much rainfall you have received.
Green onions can also be grown successfully in containers. Soil in containers can dry out quickly during very hot summer temperatures, so you may need to water them up to three times per day if rainfall amounts are inadequate.

Allowing the soil to dry out too much can cause the onion bulbs to also dry out.
Also, make sure the container has good drainage holes. You want to avoid soggy soil in containers, too. Getting the watering amounts down right may take some practice, but it’s not too difficult.

Harvesting Green Onions

Green onions are best picked when they are young and tender. Dig or pull them when the tops reach between 6-8″ tall and the bulb have begun to swell.

To use as dried bulbs, wait until the green tops have withered and browned, then stop watering. Most green onions are ready to harvest between 70-90 days.

When you are slicing or preparing a green onion, leave about 1″ above the root. This section can be re-planted into the soil. Place the root section about 1″ deep in the soil, root side down, and lightly cover the top with soil.

The root section will then re-sprout the green tops within a couple weeks. This process can be repeated several times with the same root section.  A great way to “recycle” your green onions!

Pests & Diseases of Green Onions

Pests and diseases are rare for the home grown green onion, but they can become susceptible to maggots, thrips, and soilborne diseases. Use crop rotation to avoid these issues.

Medicine Cabinet inYour Kitchen

Great chart to hang inside your spice cupboard from the Raw for Beauty web site.   Image from RawforBeauty.com

Planting Herbs -- A Few Tips

I am in the process of starting my herbs in my green house. Soon I will be able to move them to the planter on the deck. I love keeping my herbs and greens close to the kitchen because it is easier to get fresh cuttings for dinner every night.

Today we were at Jerry's Home Improvement. They had a really great "herb wheel" for planting herbs in the garden. I think it was about $10. I've seen lots of pictures of old fashion herb gardens, and they were planting in old wagon wheels which kept the herbs separated from one another. I was tempted to buy one of the "wheels" (or nostalgia sake), but I know I will get better use of the plants if they are up on the deck. Maybe some day I will plant a "tea" or "medicinal" herb garden ... then I could justify getting an herb wheel for the garden.

I have fairly big planter boxes for each herb, so to conserve the amount of soil I have to use, I place a small layer of rock at the bottom of the pot, and then I fill the pot with packing peanuts (we used to call them "ghost turds!") to just over the half-way mark in the planter. Next, I place a layer of landscape fabric over the peanuts (to keep the planting mix from falling through) and finally I put in enough potting soil to finish filling the pot, leaving about an 1" margin at the top. Now the pot is ready for the plants. Using the packing peanuts also helps keep the weight of each planter down, so moving the plant is much easier.

Another little tip I just picked up from a friend is to cut herbs (and flowers) with a knife instead of scissors. The reason is because scissors crush the end of the stem, therefore the cuttings can not absorb as much water. So cutting them with a knife will keep your flowers and herbs fresher longer.

Germination Temperature Guide

Tom and I have been busy planting seeds and starts in our greenhouse and cold frames.  Here is a great chart from Roots Nursery.com that shows how long it will take your seeds to germinate according to temperature.  This is a great reference.

Seed Starting Chart

If you are like Tom and me, you can't wait to get your seeds into the ground.  Here is a great little chart from the Knowledge Weighs Nothing Website to let you know when to grab your trowel and start planting.

What are Adaptogens and Why Do You Need Them?

When I talk about my Isagenix products I point out that our Ionix Supreme and now our new e+ Natural Energy Shot contain adaptogens. Often I am asked, "What are adaptogens?"  The word adaptogen is used by herbalists to refer to a natural herb product that increases the body's resistance to stresses such as trauma, anxiety and bodily fatigue.  In the past they have been called rejuvenating herbs, qi tonics, rasayanas, or restoratives.  Knowledge about adaptogens dates back thousands of years to ancient India and China, but serious scientific study did not begin until the late 1940s. 

In 1947, Dr. Nikolai Lazarev defined an adaptogen as an agent that allows the body to counter adverse physical, chemical, or biological stressors by raising nonspecific resistance toward such stress, thus allowing the organism to "adapt" to the stressful circumstances.  In short, adaptogens are plant and herbal extracts that help the body to "adapt" and normalize, creating an overall sense of well-being and balance.

In other words ... If you or your body are stressed

YOU NEED ADAPTOGENS!