[Patriot Babe]

Ok I am a total virgin/newbie when it comes to gardening. I am interested in growing Green Onions & Beets. What do I need to start growing them? Do I need a small pot to start? What type of potted soil do I need? Any help would be appreciated.

[SaveFerris]

Trying something similar to Green Onions. NOT starting much yet.

In an apartment, you can still do some things. Especially if you have a little outdoor area.

Try the Jiffy Starter - a few seeds - try tomatoes, green peppers, sweet basil ($3.50 for potted plant at Walmart).

Warning, that Walmart bucket has to drain so you'll need a bottom ring. They're like 69 cents or so each.





Start the seeds indoors, 70 degrees F is good (and a bit higher OK) - let them sprout for 6-8-10 weeks before transplanting to outside buckets of soil (Hardware store had 4 bags for $5 of topsoil - you'll need one or two). Add crushed eggshells for calcium for your plants. With the Jiffy Starter, after the sprouting period, plant each into the soil. You'll get there. Start small. 3-4 items as you learn. You won't need the drip pans outside. Just let them drain off.

[CatDancer]

I grow green onions in my porch container garden & mine are about 8 inches high already. Everything is in $2. Walmart buckets (they’re 2 gallon) or cat litter buckets with holes drilled in the bottoms. (Except lettuces & spinach, which are in 6” high tinfoil roaster flats (3 for $1.) Miracle Gro potting soil is fine to fill the buckets with (up to a few inches from the top), but this year I’m using Black Gold organic potting soil again because it does so well. I get onion sets at Walmart; I won’t mess with the dry little plants.

I never tried beets in a bucket, but turnips do well, since they’re fast growing & early. Once they’re out I can use the same buckets for crookneck squash or cukes. Also use buckets for tomato, pepper & eggplant.

[piasa]

Easy way to grow green onions is to buy them at the grocery store, chop off the roots with about a quarter to a half inch of the onion, then use the tops for supper.
Take the root ends and plant them barely under the soil. You can plant some seed with them if there’s enough space between them. They’ll start growing again immediately. You’ll have green onions much quicker than by seed...by the time you have used the new growth on the root ends you planted, the seeds you sowed will have sprouted and grown big enough to use, and your original root-end stock will probably have sent up stalks to flower and seed; ...

[greeneyes]

Well, you can use pots, or the ground, or raised beds. I use raised beds for green onions and beets. If I use pots, I use potting mix from Walmart cause it’s cheap.

The raised beds I used Mel’s mix which is an equal mix of peat moss, compost, and vermiculite. However just getting a bag of potting soil and/or potting mix works and is cheaper.

I plant beets 16/sq. foot. Onions - just follow the directions on the package. I just plant them outdoors directly into the ground.