Growing Onions from Scraps

I may never buy onions again!

It has been over a month since I last ordered local, organic veggies from Mother Earth Produce, but in that last box was a bunch of green onions.

As I made dinner one night, I chopped an onion down to the white bulb and stared at it, appraising it. The roots seemed strong and the onion was crunchy and fresh. Inspiration struck me and I stuck it in a tiny glass with a bit of water and left it on the windowsill. Within 24 hours there was new, green growth!

Growing Onions from Scraps is easy!

A few nights later I used another green onion and added it to the glass with the first one, and again, within one day, there was visible growth in the stem.

Now I have a small glass full of onions and all I have to do is change their water every day. Whenever I want a bit of fresh onion greens, I just trim them off as needed.

I’ve begun to experiment with other “scraps” and will let you all know what else works for continuing veggie yields!

Update: After a few days of growth and re-use, the onions start to become tired and a bit bitter. It might be better to get them growing in water with this technique and then plant them in some soil to try to propagate them in a long-term, healthier way!

Mother Earth Produce is an amazing Asheville business that works like a CSA but delivers produce to your door. You can order as often as you wish without having to set up recurring orders or paying a large, upfront fee!

They carry good organic produce, and have local veggies as often as possible but source sustainable organic produce in the “off-season.” They also offer local goodies from other businesses like farm fresh eggs, jellies, honey, hummus, soups, and even meal kits!

References:

20 Vegetables You Can Re-Grow From Scraps – Rural Sprout

Regrow Your Veggies: Growing Vegetables from Roots, Cuttings, and Scraps (CompanionHouse Books) Sustainable Tips, Troubleshooting, & Directions for Lettuce, Potatoes, Ginger, Scallions, Mango, & More by Melissa Raupach, Felix Lill