If you enjoy spending your time in the kitchen, you’re probably well aware of the many uses for scallions, from soup and stew to eggs and potatoes. These veggies are also one of the easiest to grow, outside in the garden or as houseplants, and you don’t even need seeds to start them. Learn how to grow scallions indoors using the leftover kitchen scraps from your last recipe and ways to care for them as they grow.
Scallions, shallots, spring onions, bunching onions, leeks, and green onions are the perfect garnish. Their mild flavor adds pizzazz to just about any dish, and they are healthy.
A cup of scallions has no cholesterol and only 32 calories, and they are rich in antioxidants, vitamin K, and vitamin C. As if that’s not enough to incorporate them into your diet, they are also one of the most uncomplicated veggies to grow.

Growing Your Own Scallions Indoors
Of all the DIY tutorials we discuss, regrowing veggies like potatoes, celery, and onions from leftovers is one of our favorites. This practice prevents food waste, and growing scallions indoors is easier than you think as long as you have a sunny windowsill.
Imagine not running to the grocery store the next time you want to dice up a scallion. If the thought of clipping them fresh from a homegrown scallion plant on your kitchen windowsill sounds a bit far-fetched, think again.
All you need to start your scallion plants is a pot, soil, and the leftover bit of scallion you usually toss into the trash.
Growing scallions in pots inside your home or outside on the patio are the best ways to enjoy fresh, organic onion flavor throughout the year. Growing peas indoors and a host of other veggies is easy if you follow some guidelines. When considering growing green onions vs scallions, the process is the same.
Find out how to prepare your scallion scraps and plant them in a container for indoor growing. Determine what your onion plants require to thrive and when they are ready for harvesting.
How to Prepare for Growing Scallions in Pots
A common question gardeners have is, can you grow scallions indoors? While most veggies grow best outside where they receive the most sunshine, many are easy to plant inside your home.
You can grow scallions and green onions from onion sets or seeds in the early spring, but it’s just as easy to grow them from leftovers. There is not much difference between scallions and chives when regrowing them. Here is how to prepare scallion scraps for planting indoors.
Cut the bottom four inches off one of the varieties of scallions and save it for planting. Fill a glass with water and set the scallion pieces, root side down, into the water. Place the glass of water on a sunny windowsill and wait for about a week for the roots to begin growing.
Don’t forget to refresh the water each day to prevent it from getting cloudy, and make sure the top part of the scallions is above the water level. If you do not add fresh water regularly, the glass gets slimy and stinky.
How to Grow Scallions Indoors
The way to grow onions indoors is simple, but know that growing scallions in containers is a two-step process. After you prepare the onion by soaking it in a cup of water, it’s time to move it to a permanent pot and set it in the right location. Here is how to transplant your allium using the right soil type and container.
The key to growing scallions in pots in your house or when you grow potatoes in a container indoors is to find an area where they get six hours of bright light each day. There is bound to be a window in your home that is sufficient. Windows that face south, east, or west are all good choices when growing green onions inside.
Once your scallion section begins to grow new roots, it’s time to transplant it into a pot. Scallions have a shallow root system, so a deep pot is not necessary.
Fill a container with well-draining potting soil. Ensure the container has sufficient drainage holes and add rocks to the bottom if it does not. Make a hole in the center of the pot that is slightly larger than the scallion’s base.
Lift the scallion out of the glass of water and position the root ends in the prepared hole. Push soil around the base and pat it gently to hold the onion in an upright position. Water the allium right after planting and set it on the sunny windowsill.
Within a few weeks or less, you’ll notice green shoots emerge from the white part of the plant. Snip the green part for your recipes as needed and continue to give your plants care for an endless supply of scallions.
Plant Care While Growing Scallions Indoors
There is a certain amount of care that is necessary while growing scallions indoors. Not enough water causes the dirt to dry out, and the plants suffer, and too much water causes them to wilt and struggle.
Here is everything your scallion plants want to thrive and how to harvest the green tops as they grow for a continuous harvest.
As you grow scallions at home, you may notice certain problems arise, like yellow, wilting, or drying leaves. This happens for several reasons, including underwatering, overwatering, not enough sun, and too much sun.
If you’re having sunlight issues, there are a few things you can try. To avoid burning the plant’s leaves, take the scallion off the windowsill during the mid-afternoon hours when the full sun is hottest.
If your scallions are not getting an adequate amount of sunshine, try using a grow light to give them more light.
The best way to tell if your plant requires watering is to stick your finger an inch down into the dirt. If the soil is dry, it’s time to give it a drink of water. If it’s still damp, let it be.
If you feel that your plant is drying out too fast, consider spreading some mulch over the dirt to help it retain moisture and prevent you from having to water it frequently.
To harvest your scallions, snip away the greens before the white bulb forms. You can start harvesting green onions when they are as small as a half-inch thick and continue clipping them as they grow.
If you opt to harvest the entire plant, make sure to save the bottom section for replanting if you wish to produce more scallions.
Who would have thought that regrowing food from leftovers was so easy? The most remarkable thing about growing scallions is that a garden bed is not necessary. All that is required is a glass of water, a pot of soil, and some TLC to get those kitchen scraps to regrow and provide you with new, fresh scallions.

Now that you know how to grow scallions indoors by using the leftover bits, why not impress your family and friends by sharing our scallion regrowing guide with them on Pinterest and Facebook?