Growing guide
How to grow spring onions in Ireland
Spring onions, often called scallions in Ireland, are harvested young rather than dried as storage bulbs. Short repeat sowings are more useful than a single large row. An overwintered crop can give earlier pickings, but the variety must suit that method. Japanese bunching onions and ordinary onion types should not be treated as interchangeable in every season.
On this page
At a glance
- Start with
- Salad-onion seed; choose an overwintering variety for an autumn crop
- Best position
- A fine seedbed with easy access for watering and weeding
When and where to start
Direct sowing. Sow March to June for July to October harvest. For a May or June crop, Teagasc describes sowing from the last two weeks of August to mid-September with a suitable variety.
Planting out. Module-grown clumps are an alternative and are planted when large enough to handle. The passage read does not establish a fixed protected-sowing or transplanting month, so time the plants to workable ground.
Planting and spacing
For the direct-row method, use rows 15 cm apart and about 40 seeds per metre. Teagasc increases this to around 50 for overwintering to allow for losses: this is a sowing rate, not a promised surviving plant count.
For modules, sow ten seeds per cell and plant the group at 25 × 20 cm. Each position is intended to supply a bunch, not one large bulb.
Follow the packet’s sowing-depth advice, cover evenly, firm gently and water with a fine rose so small seed is not washed into clumps.
Routine care
Repeat small sowings every two or three weeks for continuity. Label each one so you can check the oldest plants first.
Keep emerging rows moist and remove weeds early, without disturbing the young crop. Early spring sowings can be fleeced to encourage an earlier harvest, but that protected method is not a guarantee for every garden.
What to watch for
Winter losses are expected, and variety choice matters. Teagasc describes Japanese bunching onions as unsuitable for its overwintered method.
White Lisbon Winter Hardy is more suited to overwintering but more prone to bulbing in spring. Harvest at the intended young stage rather than waiting for a storage onion.
Check leaves and roots if growth fails. Bean seed fly is a listed scallion pest; inspect damage instead of assuming every failed patch was caused by cold.
Harvest and storage
Pull when plants are around pencil thickness. Summer crops take roughly twelve to seventeen weeks depending on season; check size, not only weeks.
Harvest module groups as bunches. Use fresh or refrigerate if needed: these are perishable vegetables, not dry storage onions. Pick modest quantities so the kitchen does not become the bottleneck.
Common questions
Are scallions and spring onions the same here?
Yes. Both names refer to the young salad-onion crop described in this article.
Can any variety overwinter?
No. Select a suitable variety instead of assuming Japanese bunching onions suit an autumn sowing.
Does a module position give one onion?
Not in the ten-seed clump method. The group is planted and later gathered as a bunch.