What Do Young Green Onions Look Like When They First Start Growing?
When onion seeds or replanted onions sprout, they send up tender green shoots. Green onions (Allium cepa) grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 10. They are biennials, meaning they take two years to mature from seed to producing seed. Young onions of any variety (Allium spp.) generally grow in U.S. zones 3 to 9, although hardiness can vary by cultivar. They are perennials and are also called green onions. When harvested in their immature stage, they can serve as the green onions commonly used in salads and cooking with the pale slim bulb at the root and long green tops.
Identifying Green Onions
Green onions, also called spring onions or scallions, break through the soil with slender blades similar to grass. As with grass, these leaves are called blades. In green onions grown from seed, some of the sprouts may be in a loop or inchworm shape until the tip of the blade emerges. Blades may even have a curl in them and the tip might have the seed casing on it like a hat.
Gryphon Adams began publishing in 1985. He contributed to the "San Francisco Chronicle" and "Dark Voices." Adams writes about a variety of topics, including teaching, floral design, landscaping and home furnishings. Adams is a certified health educator and a massage practitioner. He received his Master of Fine Arts at San Francisco State University.