Spring onion
Allium fistulosum
Also called Scallion and Salad onion
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitStand the cut white ends in water and they regrow. The second crop is thinner but it costs nothing.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 4 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Half-hardy — a light frost RHS H3, to -5°C
- Size
- 0.75 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- East Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats.
PeopleNothing recorded against it
Safe to eat: the whole plant.
Checked against ASPCA, RHS and Clemson HGIC on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Two or three plants together yellowing from the tips down, and a white cottony fur speckled with black pinheads on the base when one is pulled.Onion white rot · disease
- A neat row of tiny white dots punched down a leaf — the female's feeding punctures, visible before any leaf twists or distorts.Allium leaf miner · pest
- Pale oval patches on the older leaves that grow a fine violet-grey felt in humid weather, before the leaf collapses.Onion downy mildew · disease