Replant Green Onion Bulbs: Extend the Life of Your Green Onions

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I LOVE to use green onions in my recipes. They’re one of those little ingredients that make almost everything taste better. But constantly buying them and tossing the bulbs? Total waste.

Here’s my simple hack for replanting green onion bulbs so you can stretch them a little further, cut down on food waste, and always have fresh green onions at the ready.

How to Re-Plant Green Onion Bulbs

This method works for any grocery store or farmer’s market green onions.

1) Leave about 1–2 inches of the white bulb.

When you cut your green onions, keep about an inch or two of the white root end. This is the piece that’s going to grow again.

2) Plant in a planter or in the ground.

In the summer, I tuck mine into my outdoor planters alongside basil and lettuce, creating fun and decorative herb planters. You can also just pop them right into your garden bed—remember where you planted them so you can harvest later.

3) Water right away.

Just like with seeds or any plant, a good watering after planting is key. Since these sit so close to the surface, brush off any extra dirt covering the tops of the bulbs so they can sprout easily.

4) Let them grow.

Patience, my friend! Green onions usually grow back to full size (8–24 inches) within a week or two.

5) When ready to use

When you’re ready to use them, you’ve got options:

Snip them about a half-inch above the soil, and the plant will keep growing.
Or pull the whole onion, cut about an inch from the root, and replant that piece to keep the cycle going.

This process can be repeated again and again—basically an infinite onion supply!

Green onion bulbs — **Before Planting**
These little bulbs may look like kitchen scraps, but they’re actually tiny superheroes just waiting for their comeback story.

Green onions showing a small amount of growth after just 3 days of being planted — **Before Planting**
These little bulbs may look like kitchen scraps, but they’re actually tiny superheroes just waiting for their comeback story.

finished Mashed potato pancakes close up

Ways to Use Your Green Onions

Freshly grown green onions are perfect for tossing into almost anything, but here are a few recipes where they really shine:

Cooking with Kids: A Green Onion Science Lesson

This is a fun kitchen project to do with kids—it’s part gardening, part science experiment, and part cooking prep.

Little kids can help trim the onions down to the right size, fill the planter with dirt, plant the roots, and gently water.
Older kids can keep a “growth chart” to track how tall the onions get each day for an easy at-home STEM lesson.

And the best part? When they help grow the onions, they’re usually more excited to eat them too. Win-win.

Can I Do This With Store-Bought Green Onions?

Yes, yes you can! Most of my replanted bulbs started as a grocery-store bunch. It’s such an easy way to reduce waste while keeping fresh onions at your fingertips.

Did You Try This?

I’d love to hear how your green onions are growing—share your updates and leave a comment below. If you share on Instagram, tag me @jenngiamsmith—I’ll feature your creations in my stories!

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