How to Grow Onions Vertically On The Windowsill

DIY-Vertical-Onion-Planter

You can do a lot of dishes with onions, but even if you aren’t a fan of this vegetable, there is always room for a thin piece of onion to add a bit of flavor to the meal you just prepared for your family or friends. And most of the times, you have some onions in the kitchen but it’s not as fresh as you would want. A nice solution to this is growing your own onions. Don’t panic, you won’t need a garden, because you are growing it vertically on the windowsill. This way, you’ll save space and be green! Here is what you’ll need:

• 5 L plastic bottle;
• a pair of scissors;
• onion bulbs;
• soil;
• water;

DIY-Vertical-Onion-Planter-1

Start with cut off the neck of the PET. Punch some holes in it, with the scissors. You then make sure the onion sprouts are positioned through the holes. Put layers of soil and sprouts, adding them until the bottle is full. You can add the neck back on (simply tape it around) or leave it like that. Water the soil and set it on your windowsill. In no time, onions will sprout out the bulbs, you can watch them grow, and eventually flavor your dishes with them. Enjoy!

source: auntiedogmasgardenspot.wordpress.com

23 Comments

    • Vinney on said:

      No, but for green onions or if you fertilized you’d be fine. I’d be more concerned about crowding than nutrients. Just get a water-soluble (like hydroponic) fertilizer and use sparingly. It doesn’t take much.

    • deegee on said:

      This is for growing the green onions that emerge from the onion. No need to unearth the bulb as this is the source of the green onions.

  • I am a bit slow. will you put a row of onion bulbs, then cover with soil and the next row of onion bulbs (of course facing so their growth can get out the holes) and so on?
    Once you want an onion, how will you get to a bulb in order to make use of it?
    What all kinds of onions can you do this with?

  • Andy- they should have plenty of nutrients; onions are compressed leaves and almost entirely made C-H-O. Throw a handful of organic fertilizer in and they’d be good to go.

    THAT being said, you cannot successfully grow anything with it’s roots exposed to sunlight for any great amount of time. The area immediately around roots will shorty become overladen with photosynthetic algae, along with bacteria and fungus that can make use of this situation; potential pathogens that the onion simply isn’t evolutionarily prepared to defend itself against, not to mention the ones are the bottom WILL rot from too much water if the ones at the top have enough.

    THAT being said, maybe try it with red onions? They exude a chemical that has some antibacterial properties.

    • Onions are heavy feeders. Unless you used chemical fertilizer, the soil could not support this many onions grown so close together.

  • For anyone with questions similar to those posted above: this design is for the harvesting of “green onion” and/or “scallions”. This is not a method for growing any new onion bulbs, but rather the tasty green stalks that sprout year round. Stalks should be cut cleanly and with as clean a knife as possible. Sharp kitchen shears would probably be best. Good job generic, billboard website! Why give information for free when you can vaguely plagiarize for a fee?! Wonder what “auntie dogma” thinks of her intellectual property on your scummy website? Let’s find out!

  • Ann other confused on said:

    you know, ive read this post and been as confused as others…

    after reading again & again, i can only come to this (rather way-out) conclusion

    Maybe the poster is sugesting that “harvesting” means cutting off the green sprouting stalks,and chopping THEM up and flavouring dishes with them??

    or maybe the poster actually thinks that THIS is how SPRING ONIONS/SCALLIONS are grown?

  • Sarah Jumel on said:

    What you use are the green leaves, which means you don’t have to harvest the bulbs. You can also save the roots from various onions you have already used (Can be big round reds, big yellows, little greens . . . .just as long as you save the root part and soak it well.) The whole piece of onion won’t revive, and some won’t at all, but enough will live to make it worth your while. Put in dirt and watered, the roots will go down and the green will come out of the center. You may also do this with the tiny toes of garlic that are not worth peeling: soak and plant.

  • pahill on said:

    this is for only growing green onions for scallions etc. All you are doing is filling the container with potting mix maybe some with fertilizer or plant food already in it. All you do is buy onion sets put one in each hole water and let it sprout when you think it is ready you can pull it out completely for eating of green onions or just cut the greens for scallions in dishes you are cooking. I grow these in flower pots all the time same as kale, romaine, radishes can all be grown in pots. Now is this understandable?

  • This is NOT for green onions. As an onion grower, we pull the entire bulb and greens for green onions. Note the buibs in this situation; ready to be used. They are not to be full-blown, giant sweet onions…more like scallions. Stop stressing and give it a try!

  • Charlotte on said:

    Quote””onions will sprout out the bulbs””. So the green stems I’m guessing. Looks like he’s growing bulbs

    So ill stick with chives lol

  • Jason Jehosephat on said:

    I’m a little confused. If the point of this is to do something with onions that are too old to eat, how does this make them NOT be too old to eat, as Val suggests?

  • OMGoodness peeps. It’s a fun way to grow the onion greens for garnishing, cooking, it’s in no way designed to take over correct growing in your garden. Have you ever bought a bunch of spring onions from the supermarket and planted the little end with roots. Well if not than that’s a quick fun plant to grow to and in essence the same thing. I like it just for the fun value and I’m sure the kids would enjoy. Let’s not get confused with everyday bulb garden onion, you are only harvesting the green tips here. I would add that I think chives would be great.

  • For the whiners that are worried about soil, try a Snyders pretzel bottle with lid-52oz. Wide enough to put extra dirt down the center and with a lid you can easily remove it to add more and if you haven’t killed your cat yet, it will stay out of the dirt.

  • Margaret Ellison mabe on said:

    How does this work and what Khlid nf of potting soil. Do you use? What organic material and what can be grown this way?

  • I am going to do same but i’l put varity i.e. One round of celery rear watering
    One round of parsley ”
    One round of coliandre ”
    One round of rocca
    and bottom round with onion
    FOR MY SALAD !!!
    ofcourse srawberry plants could grow by this way.

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