The Water Bottle Hack That Will Have Your Green Onions Thriving In No Time

Growing green onions is often recommended as an easy project for first-time gardeners because they sprout easily. You don't even need seeds and soil to get started; an onion from the grocery store and some water will do just fine. Onions will regrow about five times before it's time to start over, allowing you to make the most of the onions you bought. You can make this process even easier with the help of water bottles. One method is to fill a bottle with soil, poke drainage holes in the bottom, and larger holes all over the sides. Place the root end of a green onion in each of the holes. Water these onions from the top, and watch your green onions come to life.

You can also use the greenhouse method, which will help you grow onions in almost any condition. You can use any size bottle, but larger ones are a great choice since they're tall and wide, which gives you more room to work with. Start by cutting the bottle in half and poking drainage holes in the base of the bottle. Fill the base with soil and plant your green onions. Place the top half of the bottle onto the bottom to act as a dome. You can leave the cap off the bottle or poke holes in it if the dome becomes too humid.

You can tweak the water bottle method to make it work for your needs. If you don't use plastic, you can use any container that you can drill drainage holes in. A lack of drainage holes can make it easier to overwater, so it's best to avoid solid containers. However, you can use a solid container with just water and no soil to regrow onions, but they may not last as long as they would in soil.

Add holes along the top edges of the bottom half of the bottle to create a hanging planter. This method can still be used as a greenhouse, but you may need to add slits to the top half to fit around the hanger. If you use a large bottle, place a smaller bottle with holes in the center and surround it with soil. It will act as an olla to help water your onions as they need it. This is ideal if you often forget to water your plants or if you're going to go out of town for a week or so.

If you want a continuous supply of green onions, only plant a few at a time. Once they grow an inch or two, plant some more and continue until you run out of room. You'll need to replant after four or five harvests, so this method will give you a constant supply even if you have to replant them.