Egyptian Walking Onions: How to Grow This Perennial Allium

The perennial Egyptian Walking Onion is the allium you didn’t even know you were missing in your garden. Once you grow it though, you’ll want to grow it forever. Egyptian Walking Onions grow back from the same root system every year but also spread and appear to “walk” due to the weight of their bulblets, which develop at the top of the plant, bending the onion over where it reseeds itself. It is a prolific spreader but luckily this is fairly easily resolved by pulling (and of course, eating) the onions you don’t want imposing on your garden paths or other crops.

What are Egyptian Walking Onions?

Egyptian Walking Onions are a type of perennial onion. Other examples of perennial onions are shallots and potato onions. Walking onions are unique because of the way they plant themselves. While shallots and potato onions are typically replanted by hand, walking onions will replant themselves. All parts of the plant are edible - the green onion tops that grow in early spring, the small and sweet bulblets that act as pearl onions in the kitchen, and the well sized bulb at the bottom of the plant - but take note that when you’re ready to eat the main bulb, the plant will not grow back. Of course they can always be replanted with the bulblets produced at the top every summer. Something else notable about walking onions is that they are not susceptible to juglone, meaning they can be planted near your black walnut trees, unlike everything else in the garden! 

How to Grow Egyptian Walking Onions

Growing Egyptian Walking Onions is easy but there are a few tips to keep in mind that can significantly increase your odds of success! 

Location and Bed Preparation

Walking onions love well draining soil - this helps the bulbs not to rot underground, but they can definitely take some moisture in the soil. Full sun is ideal for the most prolific growth but partial shade will work as well. Keep in mind when choosing a location that you will want to allow your walking onions room to roam and spread. 

Planting and Care Tips

Walking Onions can be planted in spring or fall. Each individual bulblet should be planted two inches deep, allowing for six to ten inches between each plant. This will allow for good root bulb development, however, they can also be planted in clusters for an ornamental addition to your garden. You’ll just end up with smaller below-ground bulbs but plenty of green onions and bulblets to snack on! Keeping weeds to a minimum throughout the growing seasons will help your Walking Onions thrive. In very cold climates you may also consider mulching lightly in winter and applying a high nitrogen fertilizer each spring. 

Harvest and Storage

Top sets of the walking onions can be harvested in late summer and fall for either replanting or eating. You’ll know it’s time when the leafstalk begins to turn brown and dry out. They can also be overwintered easily so you aren’t required to pull them before the frost. The leaves without top sets can be harvested year round and eaten as green onions. The underground onions will be at their largest in late summer and fall. Once you remove this from the ground, the plant will not regrow - but you can of course replant the top sets for fresh plants next year. 

The onions can be cured by being placed in a warm area with good airflow for about two weeks. When the necks are fully dry is when the onions are ready for storage, similar to garlic. They’ll store for several months in a dry area with low humidity. 

Potential Pests and Diseases

Walking Onions are generally pest and disease resistant and don’t often have many problems. However, if a problem does arise, it’s good to be knowledgeable about what to look for. Walking Onions can be plagued by common allium pests that we see on our other crops, meaning if you have a particularly bad infestation in your other alliums, you might see it spread to your Walking Onions. 

Onion Maggots

Onion maggot adults (a type of fly) lay their eggs at the base of allium plants in spring. Cool and wet conditions throughout the spring can help with the survival of eggs, while soil temperatures in the mid 90’s in the top half inch or inch of soil will kill the eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae will feed on the roots of alliums and completely destroy the root system. They will then start eating the bulbs which allows for rot to form. Floating row cover applied to newly planted or just emerging allium crops in early spring can help to discourage adults from laying their eggs at the base of your plants. An annual spray of beneficial nematodes can keep larval populations down in your soil. Neem oil can also be applied during particularly dire infestations.

Aphids

Truly nothing is safe from aphids! These small sucking insects make harvests a pain and if left unchecked can cause crop death. The best way to combat them is prevention. Keep an eye out for their populations and knock ‘em off the plant with a strong stream of water. They’ll have a hard time climbing back up. For severe infestations, insecticidal soap and neem oil can be used. 

Downy Mildew 

Downy mildew is a fungal disease that causes furry growth on leaves and stalks. It’s made worse by cool, wet conditions, and typically isn’t a problem in midsummer. It can cause leaf death and sometimes becomes a systemic issue, resulting in watery bulbs. Preventative measures that can be taken include watering only in the morning, watering only the base of the plants, taking care to not wet the leaves, ensuring good airflow around plants, and rotating the crop away from other crops that are susceptible to downy mildew.

Fusarium Basal Rot

Fusarium basal rot is a soil-borne fungal disease that affects all alliums. It can contribute to damping off in young plants or the stunting or death of mature plants. Because it is soil-borne, preventing its introduction to your garden is a great management strategy! Sanitizing equipment and buying seeds or bulbs from trusted suppliers, like Sow True Seed, is your best bet.

Egyptian Walking Onions in the Kitchen

The real reason to grow these onions is not because they are (in our humble opinion) the coolest onions out there, or the fact that they can be harvested pretty much year round, OR the unique way they grow in our gardens - but their role in the kitchen! The use for Egyptian Walking Onions is quite honestly limitless. But here are some ideas on how to use each edible part of the plant anyway:

The Bulbs

Once established, Walking Onions produce a decently sized bulb at the base of the plant. These are great to harvest when you want to thin your patch and can be used just like you use regular onions in a wide variety of dishes. 

The Shoots

The green shoots can be used just like scallions when they’re young, or cooked into quiches and soups as they get larger (and a bit tougher). They grow nearly year round and make a beautiful garnish with a mild onion flavor. 

The Flowers

The flowers won’t necessarily show up every year, but when they do they sure are beautiful! We like crumbling them and adding them to mushroom or egg dishes or even drying them, mixing with salt for a light, delicious onion salt. 

The Bulblets

The bulblets are produced at the top of the stalk. These are what weigh down the plant and bend the stalk over, ultimately replanting itself. These - peeled and roasted - make a delectable addition to briskets, stews, grilled chicken, pasta salad, and more. Just pop it in your mouth whole and taste the delicious pearl onion! 

The Shoots of the Bulblets

The bulblets themselves, if left to continue growing, will produce shoots that are light green, tender, and have a sweet onion flavor. These are delicious raw in salads, dressings, dips, as a garnish, wherever your imagination can take you. 

The Bulblets of the Shoots of the Bulblets

Okay we’re just kidding with this one. Kind of. Walking Onions are truly prolific and sometimes the shoots will produce even more bulblets! These can of course be eaten like the original bulblets. 

With all these edible options, you can have something onion-y to eat year round from just one patch of Egyptian Walking Onions. Don’t miss out on these incredible alliums in your garden this year and learn more about the perennial onions Sow True Seed offers!

	Article Written by: Hannah Gibbons
	About the Author: Hannah Gibbons, an employee at Sow True Seed since 2020, has nearly a decade of experience in the agricultural industry. Their passion for environmental education and regenerative agriculture has been the cornerstone of their work, aimed at making gardening accessible to all.