CROPS POTS IN

SPRING ONION

Some people refer to them as shallots. Others call them scallions, green onions or salad onions. If ever there was a vegetable with an identity crisis, this would be it, so to alleviate further confusion, let’s just say they are the ones with long green leaves and a slightly enlarged white bulb, normally sold in greengrocers in bunches of 20. Not to be confused with the other ‘spring onions’ you sometimes see, with larger white bulbs in bunches of five or so – these are regular white onions picked before they are fully formed.

Anyway, back to business. Spring onions (Allium fistulosum) are great to have on hand for all sorts of dishes. They are at their best when picked fresh (forget the limp ones at the bottom of the crisper) and super easy to grow in pots. You don’t need a big container; anything 25cm wide or bigger is fine. Fill it to about 3cm from the top using a good quality potting mix with fertiliser added.

Growing your crop from seed is economical as you can start a new pot every 4–6 weeks, creating a steady supply. Be aware, spring onion seed has a short life, so you may need to buy fresh seed every 12 months or so. Sprinkle the seed directly over the surface, cover with 5mm of mix and water in gently. Keep moist and the seed will germinate in about 10 days.

Buying established seedlings will give you a 3–4 week head start. You’ll find them either multisown in multicell punnets for easy planting or mass-sown in single-cell punnets. There’s no need to separate mass-sown seedlings into individual plants. Instead, you can just break them off in bunches of about 10 plants and drop them into holes 10–15cm apart. It’s okay to plant them a little bit deeper, too.

Keep your pot in a sunny spot, water regularly and apply a liquid fertiliser once a fortnight. You should have your first harvest in 8–10 weeks. Pull out individual spring onions as you need them, starting with the largest ones and leaving the rest to continue growing.