Top 5 Green Onion Benefits and How to Grow

Green onions, also known as scallions or spring onions, are used in many recipes and have numerous health benefits.

This grass-like vegetable has long leaves grown for food and medicinal purposes.

Health Benefits of Green Onions

Green onions are good for you because they are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are also excellent antibacterial and antifungal remedies.

1. Fight Candida

Green onions have antifungal and antibacterial properties. So, they may help with Candida overgrowth.

Additionally, alliums help reduce water retention, a side effect of having Candida in your body.

2. Help Prevent Cancer

With its many phytochemicals, onions help reduce inflammation. It may also help eliminate cancer-causing toxins in the gastrointestinal tract [1].

3. Relieve Mosquito Bites

Onion juice is an excellent remedy for mosquito bites. Crush and apply the juice, or press an onion slice onto the affected skin area and hold it for a few minutes.

If the symptoms persist, affix a slice to the area with medical tape for a more extended period until the irritation stops.

4. Promote a Healthy Heart

Green onion, an excellent source of sulfur, has heart health benefits [2].

Sulfur is known to reduce the clotting of blood platelets. Reducing clumping or clotting lessens the risk of a heart attack.

Foods with sulfur can lower cholesterol. High cholesterol can raise the risk of heart disease.

5. Prevent Cold and Flu

Scallion’s active compound, allicin, contains antiviral properties that fight off colds and flu.

Other Medicinal Uses

• It is a stimulant for the respiratory tract that helps expel sputum (phlegm).
• It helps to stabilize blood pressure.
• It is good for the skin. Onions contain antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. They also have vitamin C, promoting healthy, glowing skin.
• It helps to prevent diarrhea.
• It boosts blood circulation and absorbs vitamin B1. This helps to lower stress and reduce fatigue.
• It contains sulfur, which kills or helps prevent fungal infections.
• The benefits of scallion leaves include their being an excellent source of folate, vitamins, and minerals.

Nutrition Facts

One hundred grams of raw green onions contain [3]:

• 32 calories
• Fiber: 2.6 g
• Calcium: 72 mg
• Iron: 1.48 mg
• Potassium: 276 mg
• Protein: 1.83 g
• Vitamin C: 18.8 mg
• Magnesium: 20 mg
• Phosphorus: 37 mg
• Carbs: 7.34 g

Scallions vs. Green Onions

There is no difference. The terms are used interchangeably to represent the same thing in different regions.

Scallions vs. Spring Onions

Spring onions are different in some ways. Scallion stems are thin and not as bulbous, while spring onions have larger bulbous stems.

But they both have white stems and green stalks and are harvested alike. They also display the same properties and nutritional values.

Chives vs. Green Onions

Chives are an herb, while green onions are vegetables.

Moreover, the green onion plant has a slender, long green stalk with a slender white bulb at the end, while chives are wholly green with no visible bulbs.

How to Grow

Green onions are a fun, great, and versatile vegetable. They’re easy to grow and perfect for a wide variety of dishes. Below is a basic growing guide.

1. Planting

Onions grow year-round. You can grow them from store-bought seeds or scraps.

To grow onions from scraps, split them and plant single stalks with the roots attached.

They require rich soil that drains well. Plant them tightly together to retain moisture and keep out weeds as much as possible.

When planting onions, you can either plant the seeds directly in the ground outside or transplant them outdoors after germinating indoors for four to eight weeks.

You can even buy scallions from the grocery store or market and plant them if they still have roots.

Following the final frost, dig down about ¼ inch into the ground. For optimal spacing, keep the plants about ½ inch apart.

Moreover, green onions can even grow in a glass of water indoors. This method works well if you live in an apartment and don’t have easy access to soil.

2. Partial Shade or Full Sun?

Scallions are among the vegetables that can survive in partial shade, but your best bet is full sun when at all possible. If you do plant them outdoors in full sun, be sure to give them plenty of water.

3. Fertilizing 

They’d be happy with a little natural, nitrogen-rich fertilizer every month. We recommend fish emulsion fertilizer.

4. Weed Control

Regular weeding is highly advised, as weeds can choke the scallions. So, get down and pull out those weeds.

5. Dealing with Pests

When it comes to garden pests, you won’t have much to worry about with scallions.

Besides, you can always rotate the next crop to another patch of land if you do start to notice anything.

The allium leaf miner is one pest that affects scallions. Other pests include armyworms, thrips, slugs, and snails. The beet armyworm is one of the most damaging pests affecting green onion farmers in some areas.

5. Harvesting

Harvesting is best when the plants are about 5 to 6 inches tall, about the width of a pencil. Like an onion, you pull the entire plant out of the ground, bulb and all.

At the end of the season (6 to 8 weeks), you can lift the whole clump out of the ground and replant one or two stalks, so you have more for the following season.

Another option is to pull it. This involves leaving one or two stalks of each clump in the ground to create new plants.

How Do You Use It?

Most recipes use only the white root and the pale green portion of the onion. However, the green leaves are just as important.

When finely chopped, they can be a delicious garnish for any dish.

Green onions can be eaten as a side dish with seasonings or as seasonings themselves. They can even replace fresh chives in any recipe.

• In Soups. Add 2-3 stalks of scallion to boiling soup or sprinkle it finely chopped over a bowl of soup for a fantastic garnish.
• Seasoned Fried Rice: Gather some leftover rice, veggies, eggs, and green onions in a hot pot and cook until crispy.
• Salads: Add scallions for some crunch, flavor, and color.
• Sandwiches: Perk up your sandwich with some scallions for a mouthwatering meal.

Storing

Pour some water into a glass jar and add the root section to keep it fresh. Next, cover the jar with a plastic bag and place it in the refrigerator.

Additionally, you can wrap the end (root section) in a damp paper towel and place the entire plant in a storage container or a plastic bag.

Takeaway

Green onions can help improve your health, as seen in the list of benefits above.

Also, growing an organic supply could be a smart move. Eating organic vegetables has no known side effects.