VegetableOnion
Shimonita Negi Onion
Shimonita Negi is a Japanese bunching onion that stands as the 'King of the Negi,' prized for its exceptionally sweet flavor when cooked and distinctive fat white root ends. This frost-hardy perennial grows 24 to 30 inches tall and reaches harvest in 120 to 129 days, thriving across hardiness zones 2 through 9. Every part of the plant delivers oniony flavor, making it remarkably efficient to grow. Open-pollinated and heirloom, it's equally at home in garden beds, raised beds, or containers, offering flexibility for gardeners of any space.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-9
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam; Tolerates Moderate Fertility
Growth Stats
30 in
Height
Spacing
2
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
2-9
Size
30in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
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Highlights
The fat white root ends of Shimonita Negi deliver a sweet, delicate onion flavor that intensifies beautifully when cooked, distinguishing it from standard bunching varieties. As a single-stalk type originating from Shimonita Town in Japan, it represents a living connection to regional Japanese culinary tradition. Its perennial nature means you can harvest repeatedly over seasons, and its cold hardiness through zone 2 ensures reliable performance even in harsh winters. The ability to use every part of the plant, from roots to green tops, eliminates waste and maximizes your harvest.
Common Uses
Shimonita Negi excels in any preparation that benefits from cooked onion sweetness. The white root ends and tender stalks can be grilled, roasted, or simmered into soups and broths where their delicate sweetness shines. The green tops work well as garnish or in quick-cooked dishes. Every part of the plant carries onion flavor, so there's minimal waste whether you're harvesting young shoots or waiting for mature stalks.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost, maintaining soil temperatures between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for consistent germination. Transplant hardened-off seedlings outdoors after frost danger has passed.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after hardening off, spacing them 2 inches apart in rows 15 inches apart. Plant at the same depth they grew indoors to avoid burying the developing white root sections.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds outdoors in spring after soil has warmed to at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or in late summer for fall and winter harvests. Sow thinly and thin seedlings to 2 inches apart as they develop.
Harvesting
Harvest Shimonita Negi between 120 and 129 days after planting when the white root sections have thickened and stalks are tender. You can harvest individual stalks from the outside of the bunch while leaving the center to continue growing, or pull entire plants when the bases reach desired thickness. Young green shoots can be harvested anytime for immediate use, while mature white sections deliver the full sweet flavor when cooked.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Allium fistulosum
Family
Amaryllidaceae
Genus
Allium
Native Status
L48 (I)AK (I)CAN (N)
History & Origin
“Shimonita Negi originates from Shimonita Town in Japan, where it earned the honorable title 'King of the Negi' through generations of cultivation that refined its distinctive fat white root ends and exceptional sweetness. As an open-pollinated heirloom variety, it has been preserved and passed through seed-saving communities and Japanese gardeners who recognized its culinary superiority. The variety represents a specific regional agricultural heritage and the deliberate selection for flavor qualities that make it stand apart from common bunching onions.”