A variety of Japanese Bunching Onion

The variety of scallion plant you choose for your garden really depends on your garden. While there are subtle taste, texture, and maturing differences between scallions, they are, in general, mostly used the same way— in soups and salads, as garnishes, side dishes, or snacks. But really, they’re so easy to grow, why stop at just one variety? See what’s available in your region, and—depending on your appetite for scallions—pick a few to try.

Just to whet your appetite, here’s a sampling of some of the many scallion varieties available from gardening sites and seed suppliers. You won’t see most of these in your local produce department (but you might see them at the farm stand):

Apache
Bunching Warrior
Deep Purple
Early Yellow Globe
Ebenezer
Evergreen Hardy White
Fukagawa
Gallop
Guardsman
Heshiko
Ishikura
Kincho
Kuksanagi
Lillia
Nabechan
Parade
Red Baron
Shimonita
Spring Slim
Tokyo Bunching
Tokyo Long White
White Lisbon
White Spear
White Sweet Spanish

Scallions can add a lot of flavor and color to a variety of dishes; they can also be pretty tasty on their own—raw or cooked. Scallions are super versatile—try using them a different way every day!

Scallion Harvesting Bonus Tips: Here’s the interesting thing about harvesting scallions—you have a choice of pulling the whole plant when it’s a little thicker than a pencil, or just trimming off the leaves and some of the stalk/shank. Because if you treat your scallions almost like a super herb, they’ll keep growing and producing all season long! We’ll talk more about growing and regrowing your scallions (and scallion scraps) in Choosing to Grow Scallions from Seeds or Seedlings.

Do you grow different varieties of scallions? Which ones do you grow? Please tell us how you use your scallion harvest—and whether you harvest all or some of them. What’s your favorite variety of scallion? Please let us know what you grow.