Green Onions

By Shivani Manivasagan

I've seen so many pictures of people growing green onions by placing the roots in water, so when my mother bought scallions from our local Farmers' Market, I thought it would be the perfect plant to try growing at home. Before putting them in the fridge, I cut off the ends and planted the roots in soil. They started to grow really fast; scallions like a lot of sun and water, and in these conditions over the summer, they grew back to their original size within a week! A really cool attribute of green onions, as I discovered, is that they regrow multiple times even after they're cut. After my plants grew around six to eight inches tall, I would trim the stalks down to around an inch above the soil. Within a week or two, they'd grow to near their original heights again. I was really excited to have an infinite supply of green onions (but realistically, I've read that each plant regenerates itself three to four times; after that, you would have to plant new bulbs). Over the summer, I was able to get four harvests of green onions over two months, and they were a delicious addition to our soups and noodles. So the next time you buy scallions, I definitely recommend planting the roots in soil, and you can get multiple harvests out of that one-time purchase!