White Welsh Perennial Onion Seed

Why Grow White Welsh Perennial Onion?

Cold Tolerant and Heat Tolerant! White Welsh Perennial Onions (Allium fistolum) are one of our favorite varieties of perennial onions that we've found. Once established, these plants are tough as nails! We've seen them endure 6" of snow in the winter and brutal summer heat with no issues. Also called a "scallion onion" because they do not bulb, these onions will grow all year long and continue to multiply. Once you have them in your garden, you'll have onions forever! Cut the green tops whenever you'd like or pluck an entire plant off the side of a bunch for a delicious snack or addition to your favorite meal.

Enjoy Onions All Year Long! White Welsh Perennial Onions can get as large as 24" tall when fed well. Once the seedlings establish, you'll notice the plants multiplying from a single plant to 8-10 per bunch. Because they multiply so much, they may require thinning every 1-2 years if you're not actively harvesting them. They will produce seed heads in the late spring/early summer. You can harvest the seed and replant elsewhere or let them continue to volunteer where they are. They can be propagated further by seed or by simply dividing the bunches and replanting individual plants.

White Welsh Perennial Onion Growing Tips

• When to Plant Perennial Onions

Unlike bulbing onions, most perennial onions can be planted when it is still relatively warm outside. They can be planted in the middle of summer if you have ample water, or you can wait until late summer/early fall when temperatures start to cool a little.

White Welsh Perennial Onion seed may be planted in a traditional seed starting tray or directly in the ground. If planting in the ground, you might want to thin the seedlings as they emerge to prevent overcrowding over time. You can also wait until the onion seedlings get larger and transplant the ones you thin to spread them evenly in your garden.

Onion seeds will germinate best at soil temperatures around 70°F and usually take 8-10 days to germinate. If the soil temperature is not ideal, they can sometimes take two weeks to germinate.

• How to Fertilize Perennial Onions

Onions are heavy feeders. Give them plenty of water and nutrients and you'll grow some big ones! We recommend applying our Coop Gro Fertilizer in the planting furrow at transplanting. This will provide the phosphorous and potassium that the young onion plants need to develop a strong root system.

Once the onion plants start to grow, side dress them with a high nitrogen fertilizer. It's tough to over-fertilize perennial onion varieties like the White Welsh Perennial Onion. Feel free to give them plenty of nitrogen if you want to grow large green tops for harvesting. Feeding them well will also help them multiply more as they grow.

• When to Harvest Perennial Onions

Perennial onions can be harvested at any time. You can cut the green tops with scissors and use as you wish in the kitchen. You can also pluck an entire stalk off the bunch of plants as they multiply. Just be sure to leave at least one plant in each bunch.

To see more great perennial onion growing tips, watch this video.