Scallion Onions

Bunching onions (Evergreen Bunching as the perennial workhorse, plus White Lisbon or plain scallions grown as an annual) form clumps of non-bulbing stalks rather than single bulbs in Luke's garden, giving repeat cut-and-come-again harvests spring through winter, with Evergreen Bunching persisting and multiplying for years if divided occasionally.

1. 1

   Sowing seed or setting divisions

   Direct sow late winter through early fall in Zone 8a (Feb-Sept), with a fall sowing around Aug-Sept for a hardy overwintering crop

   You'll see Seeds are small, black, angular. Within 7-14 days you'll see thin, grass-like green threads, 1-2 inches tall, pushing up in small groups.

   Do Direct sow seed thinly 0.25-0.5 inch deep, or set out small divisions from an existing clump.

   Details
2. 2

   Clump establishment

   6-10 weeks after sowing

   You'll see Individual seedlings thicken into slim white-based stalks, and you'll notice new shoots (tillers) emerging from the base of each plant, turning a single seedling into a small cluster of 3-5 stalks.

   Do Keep weeded and watered; thin overly crowded clusters if growth looks stunted.

   Details
3. 3

   First harvest and the cut-and-come-again clump

   10-12 weeks after sowing for a first harvest, then continuously for months to years

   You'll see Stalks reach pencil-thickness or better, 8-14 inches tall, with a firm white base fading to blue-green hollow leaves. A healthy clump looks like a dense tuft with new, thinner shoots visible at the center and older, thicker stalks toward the outside.

   Do Harvest only the outer, oldest stalks at soil level, leaving the inner younger stalks and roots undisturbed.

   Details
4. 4

   Overwintering

   Nov-Feb, through Zone 8a's mild winter

   You'll see Evergreen Bunching largely holds its green color and upright form through winter, with only minor tip dieback even after nights in the teens. Growth slows but doesn't stop entirely.

   Do Leave the clump in the ground; mulch lightly ahead of the coldest snaps and keep harvesting lightly through winter.

   Details
5. 5

   Dividing the established clump

   Every 2 years, in spring as new growth resumes

   You'll see An overcrowded clump shows a dense congested base, thinner and more numerous stalks than a fresh clump, and a general slowdown in new tillering.

   Do Dig the clump, split it into smaller sections, and replant to reinvigorate growth and multiply plants.

   Details
6. 6

   Bolting and seed saving

   Second year or under stress, typically late spring into summer

   You'll see A thick, round, hollow flower stalk rises from the clump well above the leaves, topped by a round white globe of tiny star-shaped flowers, gradually drying to a papery brown seed head.

   Do Let a few stalks bolt and flower if you want seed; otherwise cut bolting stalks out to keep the clump productive for eating.

   Details

Techniques — transplant, prune, propagate, divide, seed