Wednesday, June 4, 2014

How to grow onions from kitchen scraps - in 3 easy steps!



I'm always trying to grow whatever happens to sprout in my kitchen.  Onions, until recently, had always been an enigma.  They grew green buds in my kitchen, but as soon as I put them in the garden they withered.

That was, until I learned the secret to growing fresh onions at home from kitchen scraps.
 What a breakthrough!

How to grow onions from kitchen scraps, in 3 easy steps:


1)  Cut off the bottom of an onion.  Cut about 1/2 inch from the bottom - the "hairy" looking side.  Use the rest of the onion to cook as your heart desires.

2)  Leave the onion stump to dry for a few days.  I have a potted plant next to my kitchen sink, where I set the stumps until I'm ready to plant them.  There is no magic number for how long to leave them out, so long as they're dried out - I usually wait a week or so.

3)  Press the stump about 1 inch down into rich soil and bury any exposed parts.  In a few weeks, the onion will start to sprout.  


Before long, you'll have a garden of fresh, free onions. 

32 comments:

  1. Ooh, I'll have to try this. I planted a bunch of onions in my garden this year, but it would be awesome to just keep reusing them!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I do this all the time. It's smart, and fun watching them grow.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really want to do this one of these days because I love green onions. I buy them all the time, and they often go bad in the bottom of my refrigerator. My friend had great success growing hers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Green onions are a little bit different to get started...I've got another post about those here: http://lavendeandlemonade.blogspot.com/2014/02/grow-fresh-green-onions-in-kitchen.html I agree though, the green ones are so easy and convenient to keep right in the kitchen - definitely worthwhile :)

      Delete
  4. I'm going to try this! Sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm going to have to try this out and see if I can make a go of it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. thank you for the idea, i will have to try this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds crazy but my mother in law must have done something like that cause we have onions growing all over our property.. People come here and take them..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How nice! I'd be happy to be your neighbor and eat your harvest :)

      Delete
  8. I still need to put my garden together. I am starting to think that I may be too late. I really want to try this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, now I didn't know this at all! I'm so not the green thumb so I haven't planted anything. Thanks for sharing how to grow a onion!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a fabulously frugal idea :) Recycle those onions, into new onions!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, I never would have thought to do this. Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Shut the front door, no way! This is so awesome! I am the cheapest girl in the planet, so I love this idea! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and green beans now I can't wait to add onions in the mix! I love onions and use them so much in my cooking but like I haven't had much success in growing them. This is a great idea thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Onions will be a great addition to your garden. Try planing them near your tomatoes, they are companions and do really well together!

      Delete
  14. Thank you for this, i will definitely give this a try....
    Richelle Silbaugh

    ReplyDelete
  15. Does soil and temperature matter a lot as well?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Onions are pretty hearty so aren't as sensitive to soil temperature as a lot of other plants. They do love sun though.

      Delete
  16. Thanks for this, I don't do so well starting them off in the house they grow tall and then they die thanks for sharing....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tonya! The "normal" onions do best outdoors in a very sunny area. If you're growing green onions in the house, just cut them down from time to time (and use them in your dinner!) and that should help keep them tamed and growing stronger.

      Delete
  17. It's good that you have little plant in your kitchen. It's more economical and much safer that way.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Whoa how cool! I want to try this :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you for this wonderful idea. I will going to share this with my friends.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I learned something new from you. It's gonna save households so much!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Very cool! Now I know what to do with onions that get old. I've always been curious to see if I could grow onions from an old onion.

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a cool idea! I am going to try this. I love onions and it would be great to grow some at home.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love green onions on anything. Thanks for sharing this tip.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is a great idea because I love onions and it's one of my favorite spices. I think try this and see if i can grow some.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Never in my iife would I have thought of this being so easy! Thanks for sharing and I can't wait to do it.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your kind comments!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.