Evergreen Hardy White Onion is a winter-hardy bunching onion that stands apart for its remarkable cold tolerance, surviving winters in zones 3 through 9 when soil drains well. This open-pollinated cultivar reaches harvest maturity in just 65 days from transplants, delivering tender, white scallions with compact growth. Sown in early spring for summer harvests or in midsummer for fall and spring production, it's built for gardeners who want fresh onions year-round, even in harsh climates.
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Moderate
3-9
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Moderate
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Johnny's Selected Seeds calls this their most winter-hardy bunching onion, and the claim holds real weight for northern gardeners. Unlike tender varieties that vanish in the cold, this cultivar genuinely overwinters when drainage is solid. It germinates quickly in soil temperatures between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and transitions smoothly from transplant to table in under two months. The compact growth habit means you can tuck it into tight spaces, and the white coloring signals its readiness for the kitchen.
Evergreen Hardy White Onion is harvested as a tender scallion or bunching onion, eaten fresh in salads, used as a garnish, chopped into soups and stews, or grilled whole. The mild, fresh onion flavor works in any application where you'd use a spring onion or leek, from Asian stir-fries to simple butter and bread. Because it overwinters, it becomes a source of fresh greens when most of the garden lies dormant.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow 6 to 8 seeds per cell in 72-cell trays at the same time you would seed bulbing onions for transplant production. Maintain soil temperature between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination. Time indoor sowing to transplant seedling clusters outdoors 6 to 8 weeks before your target harvest date.
Transplant seedling clusters 6 to 8 inches apart in rows spaced 18 inches apart for standard bunching onion production. For Negi-style scallions with a thicker blanched portion, when seedlings reach 8 to 18 inches tall and pencil thickness, transplant outdoors 6 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart into holes dibbled approximately 6 inches deep. Allow only 1 to 2 inches of leaves to extend above the soil surface. Do not firm the soil; instead, let irrigation or rainfall settle it naturally. Sow in early spring for summer use, or in July or August for fall and spring use.
Harvest when seedlings reach usable size, typically around 65 days from transplanting. Loosen the soil with a fork or underminer before pulling to avoid breaking the tender white bases. Wash thoroughly and hydrocool immediately, then hold at near-freezing temperatures until use or sale. For Negi-style production, harvest larger, thicker plants by gently pulling from loose soil.
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“Evergreen Hardy White Onion belongs to Allium fistulosum, the bunching onion species native to Asia, where it has been cultivated for centuries as a staple of regional cuisines. This particular cultivar was selected and refined for extreme hardiness, representing decades of seed work to produce an onion that could survive temperate winters without protection. Johnny's Selected Seeds preserved and commercialized this variety, making it available to home and market gardeners seeking reliable cold-season production.”