Regrow Onion Sprouts

My parents gave me 3 large bags of onions. My husband and I could not eat them quickly enough. We have been trying to use them by incorporating onions in every thing from stir fry to soups, and onion rings (notice my recent onion rings post). The extra onions sat on the counter for 2 weeks and they started sprouting overtime. I don't like wasting anything, especially when it comes to food so I figured I'd try re-growing them just in time to propagate them in our Spring garden.

I started by cutting all 4 sides of the sprouting onions as pictured above. You don't want to cut too deep so carefully pay attention to the layers as you make your cuts. If you cut too deep then you may destroy the bulb in the center.

I carefully peeled back each layer of the onion until I reached the very center. I collected and threw my scraps into my compost bin so that I can reuse them in my garden (zero waste).

I had 3 onions and they each contained a different amount of bulbs. I believe there was one onion where only one bulb was present. I separated the bulbs by pulling them apart at the base. I tried to keep the roots intact with each bulb. This will help the bulbs to take root faster after you replant them.

From the three onions, I was able to get 7 individual bulbs. The look just like green onions which is really neat. Even though it is Spring in Colorado, the temperature outside is still unpredictable and it tends to snow in May. The rule of thumb for me is to wait until after Mother's Day before planting anything outside in order to avoid exposing my plants to the snow (It just snowed 2 inches of wet slush yesterday).

I gathered the 7 bulbs and planted them into a temporary pot. I tried spacing them about 2 inches apart. I am patiently waiting for Mother's Day to arrive (1 month away). When I repropagate them in my outdoor garden, I plan to place them 2-4 inches apart. Onions typically require 90 days to grow. I am excited to harvest these onions and incorporate them in our meals. I'll have to post an update of how these onions turn out!