The easiest way to grow green onions on a windowsill

Greens give food an appetizing appearance and serve as a valuable source of vitamins. If you grow onions on the windowsill, you will always have a healthy addition to your dishes at hand. The spicy plant is unpretentious and can produce a stable, good harvest even in an apartment. In order for the feathers to grow plump and juicy, you need to approach planting responsibly: choose suitable planting material, arrange a place for growing, and organize proper care.

How to plant onions correctly?

The easiest way to grow green onions is to select an already sprouted turnip and stick it in a container with a small amount of water. This is what our mothers and grandmothers did to provide the family with fresh herbs in the winter. The beaten path is good for those who don’t want to bother getting lush, thick feathers.

If your goal is to harvest a good, stable harvest, we recommend that you listen to the following tips:

1. Choose good planting material. There are different varieties of onions: onion (turnip), batun, leek, chives, shallots, slime and others. But many people prefer to grow turnips on the windowsill. To obtain greens, it is better to select small old bulbs that are already saturated with moisture. Size does not matter, but it is more profitable to sprout small onions, because they are more compact and produce the same number of feathers.
2. Cut off the tops.The greens will grow thicker and appear earlier if you cut the top of the bulb about 1/4 (the side opposite the bottom with the roots). There is no need to be afraid of damaging the bow. Some housewives trim not only the top, but also the sides of large turnips. They use the scraps to fry in soup. If the roots and core are not damaged, the onion will grow even in this form.
3. Find a wide pot - a tray. There is not much space on the windowsill, so to get a good harvest you need to place the onions compactly. A square wide pot, including a homemade one, is ideal for this. For example, from an egg carton or food container.
4. Water the bulbs regularly. The growth rate of greenery and its juiciness directly depend on the amount of moisture. Onions love watering and can grow in water alone without soil.
5. Do not cut the greens, but pick them off at the base. If you grow an onion correctly, it can supply feathers for 2-3 months, producing more and more until its internal strength is exhausted. But when cutting greenery with a knife or scissors, the plant spends energy on restoration and slows down growth for some time. Breaking off a feather at the base is less traumatic for him.
6. Plant onions in 3-4 batches. The recommended break between plantings is 10 days. This technique allows you to collect fresh herbs continuously. While one batch will grow feathers, the other will already reach maturity.

Onions produce their first harvest in 2–2.5 weeks. At this point, the feathers have grown 20 cm. After this, they can be regularly cut off and eaten separately fresh or as part of dishes.

Growing container

You can grow onions on a windowsill in a variety of containers.There are even special bulbs that can be purchased in the same department as flower pots. The device has a hole for each bulb, which allows them to be securely fixed. A similar device can be made from a short plastic container by making holes in its lid the size of a small chicken egg (using scissors or a heated knitting needle).

You can also use:

• glass baby food jars (filled with water, and the onion sits on the neck with its roots hanging down);
• plastic egg packaging;
• plastic bottles (cut lengthwise or crosswise);
• food containers;
• flower pots.

Or you can turn the onion on the windowsill into an original decoration reminiscent of a pineapple. To do this, you need to cut off the neck of a plastic bottle and make 15–25 holes for the bulbs around the perimeter. Next, you should stick them with their roots inside and fill the bottle with damp soil. When the greenery grows, the planting will look like this:

Substrate

Although onions grow well in plain water, many people prefer to plant them in the ground. Firstly, it nourishes the plant better, and secondly, it reduces the likelihood of rotting. Garden soil is suitable as a substrate. You can simply dig it up on the street, and at home wrap it in thick material and bake it in the oven.

Varietal onions are more demanding of the soil. It definitely needs loose soil, fertilized with humus and manure, with a neutral pH. Also, when grown in the ground, onions need a drainage system.

If you sometimes forget to water your plants, hydrogel balls will come to the rescue. They absorb and retain moisture for a long time. With them, moisture-loving onions will always feel good.

Choosing onions for greens

You can grow not only onions on the windowsill, but also other varieties. At home, shallots, chives, slime, batun, and multi-tiered plants grow well. Each variety has its own characteristics.

• Shallot produces approximately 2 times more greenery and ripens 5 days earlier than onion. However, it makes no sense to plant it before the beginning of February. In winter, the plant is dormant. It is also important to note that the shallot feathers must be cut off no later than the 26th to 35th day, otherwise they will be lost. The cut is made across the bulb closer to the bottom. Remains with roots are suitable for replanting.
• Chives – perennial. To grow it on a windowsill, you will need to get a 3-4 year old plant, cut off the leaves from it around October-November and replant it together with a lump of earth in pots. The feathers of this onion ripen 2 times faster and after cutting they fully grow in 10 days. They taste sweetish and practically not spicy.
• Onion To obtain greens at home, they dig up from the garden in the 2nd–3rd year of the plant’s life. The bushes, together with a lump of earth, are transplanted into pots with the onset of the first frost. This variety is famous for its high content of vitamin C (2 times more than onions). Greenery is cut once every 30–35 days, otherwise after this time it begins to become coarse.
• Multi-tiered bow distinguished by delicate greenery. It is possible to reap a larger harvest from it than from onions. The greens are ready for cutting on the 25th day. Planting can be done at any time of the year. The plant does not have a pronounced dormant period.
• Slime Bow can be grown on a windowsill for greenery in the 2nd–3rd year. It is dug up in October, divided and placed in pots for indoor plants. Feathers are cut off when they reach a height of 20–25 cm.Throughout the entire time they remain tender and juicy.

Germination

To obtain feathers, it is ideal to select bulbs with green tips. If only dry onions are available, it is recommended to germinate them.

1. Prepare a container with a depth of 7 cm.
2. Fill the pot 3–4 cm with disinfected soil.
3. Fill the soil with water so that it covers the surface by 1 cm.
4. Place the bulbs in a container and deepen them slightly.
5. Place the onion in a warm place (25 degrees) and wait 7 days.
6. After a week, move the pot to a windowsill with good light.

The main secret to quickly forcing feathers is to keep the bulbs warm and with high humidity. They don't need sunlight until greenery appears.

How to care for onions?

In order for onions to grow juicy and green, at home they need regular watering and good lighting. You can also feed your plants to promote green growth.

• Watering. In the cold season, onions are watered every other day, in summer - daily. It is better to use warm water, standing for 24 hours. The soil should be kept consistently moist but well ventilated to avoid rotting. If the bulbs grow in water, it is important to ensure that its level does not rise above the root system.
• Lighting. The south side of the house is best suited for growing green onions. It is worth choosing a window facing south or southeast. When given enough light, greens accumulate nutrients and develop a rich flavor.
• Temperature. Onions are cold-resistant plants. To grow feathers, it is optimal to maintain a room temperature of 18 to 24 degrees. In the heat - at 30 degrees and above - the growth of greenery stops.
• Fertilizers. To quickly grow feathers, onions can be watered with water containing diluted wood ash (10 g per 2 liters) every 10–15 days. Or add a few drops of a biostimulant (“Epina”, “Baikal”) to the water. But in general, onions do not need feeding.

Onion greens are very healthy. It improves digestion and stimulates appetite, saturates the body with vitamin C. Thanks to the content of phytoncides, onions kill germs and protect against colds. Previously, it was grown on the windowsill in every home. Maintaining traditions is wonderful, especially when they bring so many benefits!