Ishikura Bunching is an AGM-winning Japanese type, recognised for its excellent garden performance. It forms long white stems that can reach over 30cm and, unlike many spring onions, there's no need for repeat sowing. Ishikura can be harvested from pencil thin to thumb thickness at any time between June and October, and it's tasty at every stage. You can even cut some of the green leaves for salads while leaving the stems to grow on.
Sow: between March and July, no more than 1cm deep. Use cloches until around mid-April to protect the earliest sowings.
Grow: just let it grow! Ishikura can be harvested from around 7–10cm tall, when you can pull the whole young plant. For more traditional spring onions, wait until the stems are about pencil thickness, or leave them to grow on; they'll retain their quality right up to thumb thickness in autumn. You can earth up around the stems if you want to keep more of them pale, but it isn't necessary and won't change the flavour.
Enjoy: snip some of the green leaves for salads or flavouring while leaving the stems to continue growing. Ishikura is particularly useful in Japanese and other East Asian dishes; slice it into stir-fries or miso soup, or use wherever you want the fresh flavour of a green onion.
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