Green Onion, Altai (Organic)
Allium altaicum. Green Onion/Scallion. 65 days. Perennial to zone 5.
The Altai Onion of Siberia is the fabled possible ancestor of Allium fistulosum, the scallion/green onion/bunching onions we all know and love. Rich, spicy flavor and heavy duty winter hardiness make Altai Onion an excellent perennial vegetable. Seemingly a cultivated selection from the wild type, this strain grows strong and tall, forming clumps. It more resembles a robust dark-green cultivated green onion than the slow growing short wild types found in the USDA GRIN repository or those found growing on cliffs around Lake Baikal. A fun slice of onion history, yet somehow still lacking a clear history! While we are not totally confident that this is Allium altaicum, we have not observed any crossing with Allium fistulosum when they are grown side by side. This one is truly for the onion nerds out there! Do you (as they say) “know your onions”? After trialing several sources of Altai Onion we chose this one, sourced from Prairie Garden Seeds in Canada.
Sow indoors in flats with good potting soil February through July. Transplant into the garden in April to August, when plants are at least the size of a No. 2 pencil lead. Space clumps of plants 6” in rows that are 12″ apart. Green onions benefit from frequent watering and shallow cultivation. Harvest when they are the size you want to eat.
Seed Saving
To save seed, keep at least 20 onions (to avoid inbreeding) into the second spring. Beautiful globe shaped flower heads attract pollinators. Cut whole seed heads when they open and show the black seeds. Thresh gently and winnow to remove debris and hollow seeds. When saving seed, isolate from other Alliums of the same species by at least ½ mile.
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