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Vegetable · Easy to grow

Spring onion

Allium fistulosum · also Shallot (NSW usage)

A quick, easy onion grown for green stems rather than bulbs, ready in 8 to 10 weeks. Sow little and often almost all year in Adelaide. Bunching (Welsh) types can be cut again and again or left to form clumps.

When to plant where you live

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Planting times for other areas

Varieties (3)

  • IshikuraLong, straight Japanese bunching onion; no bulb, slow to bolt
  • Red bunching typesRed-based stems; colourful in salads
  • White LisbonFast, mild salad onion; pull young

Neighbours

Grows well with

Keep away from

From seed to plate

  1. Plant

    5 cm apart, seed 6 mm deep. Full sun or part shade.

  2. Water

    Regular water.

  3. Feed

    Light feed monthly.

  4. Pick, from about 9 weeks

    Pull or cut as needed.

Good to know

  • Replant the white root ends from shop-bought spring onions; they regrow
  • Cut stems 3 cm above soil for a second harvest

Common problems

  • Thin, weak stemssow less densely and thin to 2 to 3 cm
  • Onion thrips (silvery streaks) in dry weatherhose foliage, water regularly
  • Rustremove affected leaves, space for airflow

If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.

Ask the garden helper about spring onionAny question, answered from the plant libraryHow others are growing spring onionQuestions, tips and harvests from the community
Where this information comes from
  • Australian seed company regional sowing charts (temperate zone) (germination, low confidence)
  • ABC Gardening Australia fact sheets (growing, low confidence)
  • ABC Gardening Australia plant finder: Spring onions (growing, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
  • Sustainable Gardening Australia: planting guides (sowing window, low confidence)
  • Poisons information centre plant guidance (Australia) (toxicity, low confidence)
  • ASPCA: Pets and Produce, vegetable garden safety (toxicity, high confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)

Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.