Open-Pollinated · 65–75 days from direct seeding
cool-season · timing varies by zone
Grows well in
Raised Bed ✓
In-Ground ✓
Container/Pot ✓
Grow Bag ✓
Meet This Plant
Tokyo Long White is not a bulbing onion. It's a bunching onion grown specifically for its long white stalks and blue-green tops. No waiting months for a bulb to form, no worrying about day length, no complicated timing.
Just sweet, mild scallions you can start cutting in about 65 days and keep cutting as they regrow. It's one of the simplest and most forgiving things you can grow.
What it tastes like: Mild and sweet with a clean onion flavor that's nowhere near as sharp as a bulbing onion. The white stalks are tender and crisp. The green tops have a little more bite and work great as a garnish or stirred into anything hot.
How to Grow It
Sun
Full sun preferred. Tolerates partial shade but stalk development is better with good sun exposure.
Water
Keep soil consistently moist. Bunching onions have shallow roots and dry out fast. Don't let them go dry.
Sowing Details
-
Depth¼ inch
-
Spacing½–1 inch for standard scallions, thinning to 2–3 inches for larger stalks
-
Row Spacing12 inches
-
ThinningOptional. Tighter spacing produces slender scallions. More space produces thicker stalks.
-
Germination7–14 days. Buy fresh seed every season. Onion seed loses viability fast.
-
Days to Maturity65–75 days from direct seeding
When to Plant
For spring, direct sow as soon as the soil can be worked when daytime temperatures are consistently in the 40s to 50s°F.
For fall, direct sow 8–10 weeks before your first fall frost or once daytime temperatures begin dropping below about 75°F.
Succession sow every 2–3 weeks for a continuous harvest all season.
Zones 7–8
Direct sow in early spring while temperatures are still cool and again in late summer once daytime temperatures start dropping below 80°F. Avoid planting in peak summer heat as quality drops and growth slows.
Zones 9–11
You can grow Tokyo Long White nearly year-round. Fall through spring is your strongest window and summer growth tends to slow down in the hottest climates. Pick back up once temperatures begin cooling.
Grow Friend Tips
Succession sow and you'll never run out
Tokyo Long White is one of those crops that rewards a little forward planning. Sow a short row every 2–3 weeks and you'll have fresh scallions coming in constantly. It's genuinely one of the easiest crops to succession sow because the seeds are small, the rows are thin, and the whole thing takes about two minutes.
Cut and come again
When you're ready to harvest, cut the stalks about an inch above the soil line and leave the roots in the ground. They'll regrow and give you another harvest. You can get 2–3 cuts from a single planting before the quality drops off.
Thicker stalks need more space
Tokyo Long White grows slender by default. If you want meatier, thicker stalks closer to what you'd find in a grocery store bunch, thin to about 2–3 inches apart and give them a little more room. Tighter spacing gives you more plants but thinner stalks.
They're perfect for containers
A container at least 6 inches deep works great. Good for a kitchen porch or balcony where you want scallions within arm's reach. Succession sow right in the container every few weeks.
Don't skip the fresh seed rule
Same as all onions. Onion seed loses viability fast. Buy a fresh packet every season rather than using last year's leftovers.
Companion plants
Carrots
Lettuce
Beets
Tomatoes
Chamomile
Roses
Harvest & What to Do With It
When it's ready
Tokyo Long White is typically harvested when stalks are 12–18 inches tall with a white shank at least 6 inches long. You can pull them earlier though, if you want younger, more tender scallions. Don't wait too long or the stalks get tough and the flavor gets sharper.
How to harvest
For cut-and-come-again, cut stalks about an inch above the soil line and leave the roots in the ground. They'll regrow for 2–3 more harvests. For the whole plant, grab at the base and pull straight up. If soil is dry, water first to loosen it.
Yield
A short row gives you a generous harvest of scallions. Succession sowing is the only way to keep a steady supply coming through the season.
Short-term storage
Wrap unwashed in a damp paper towel and refrigerate. Keeps 7–10 days. Use them fresh for the best flavor.
Long-term storage
✅
Freezing: Chop into rings, freeze flat on a tray, then bag. No blanching needed. Keeps up to 12 months. Great for cooked dishes, soups, and stir fries.
✅
Dehydrating: Chop into rings and dehydrate at 125°F until completely dry. Keeps 12 months airtight. Makes excellent dried scallion for seasoning.
✅
Refrigerator pickling: Texture softens up but the flavor is genuinely good. Best used within a few weeks.
❌
Pressure canning: Not appropriate for scallions.
❌
Water bath canning: Not safe for plain scallions due to low acidity.
❌
Root cellaring: Doesn't apply.
What to cook
Raw as a garnish on everything. Sliced thin over soups, noodles, tacos, eggs, and grain bowls. Grilled whole until charred and sweet. Stirred into dips and dressings. Tokyo Long White is one of those ingredients that makes almost everything taste more finished.
Seed Storage & Saving
| Variety |
Tokyo Long White Bunching Onion |
| Type |
Open-Pollinated |
| Seeds per packet |
~200 seeds |
Storing unused seeds: Keep somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Onion seed loses viability fast. Buy fresh seed every season for reliable germination rates.
Seed saving: Tokyo Long White is a bunching onion (Allium fistulosum) so it won't cross with your bulbing onions. It will cross with other bunching onion varieties though, so if you're growing multiple types and want to keep the variety pure, keep them separated or save seed from just one at a time. Let a few plants bolt and flower. Once the seed heads are dry and the black seeds are visible, cut the stalks, bring inside to finish drying, then shake or rub the seeds out. Store in a cool, dark place.
