Growing Shallots, also Eschalots

Allium cepa, aggregatum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  P P P P P P P P P    

(Best months for growing Shallots in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Plant small bulblets, with stem just showing above ground. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 6 - 8 inches apart
  • Harvest in 12-15 weeks. Keep a few for your next planting.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Lemon Balm, Borage, Carrots, Beets, Silverbeet, Lettuce, Amaranth
  • Avoid growing close to: Peas, Beans

Your comments and tips

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12 Sep 18, Mike (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Shallots are generally grown from bulbs. What is sold in supermarkets is spring onions. A lot of difference. (Shallots are available in some NZ supermarkets - intended for cooking - Ed:)
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07 Feb 19, Terry (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Can I replant my new shallot bulbs straight away?
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19 Sep 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
True shallots grow as a clump of up to 12-20 bulbs and when developed are purple skinned. If you keep some of these from one year to the next, all you need to do is plant 2-3 bulbs together and space them about 8-9
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17 May 18, Jonathan Pursley (USA - Zone 8b climate)
Can I grow shallots successfully indoors under lights? If so what light cycle will be most successful?
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03 Jan 18, Robert Gallo (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Good Day I would like to start shallot farming please let me know where i can get shallot bulbs and seeds. With Regards Robert Gallo
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08 Feb 18, Astrid (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Try www.theseedvault.co.za. They sell the Matador Shallot (one of the shallots grown from seeds, not bulbs - so it's cheaper to grow). I have no idea if they can provide enough for you to grow them wholesale, but if not they might be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck!
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08 Aug 17, Peter (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi thank you for you advice very informative for us beginners . My wife and I are now retirees and are getting into the veggies and live it we are growing onions of all types for the first time shallots with no bulb having great results so we have planted bought from retailer golden shallots it has 3 thick stems coming from base massive leaves do they fall over like normal onions when they are due to be harvested ? as we don't know when they are ready thank you again peter Oran Park nsw
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10 Aug 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I don't grow onions because they take so long to grow. We can buy onion in the shops for $1-1.50 a kg. The reason I grow shallots (a lot of people mix up shallots with spring onions and even eshallots) is because they are so easy and quick to grow and you keep bulbs from one year for the next year to plant. I planted some on Monday and they are shooting out of the ground today - Thursday - will be eating them in about 5 weeks time. Happy gardening - great rewards from eating what you grow.
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31 Jul 17, Michelle (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I planted a number of shooting French Shallot bulbs earlier this year. I now have rows of beautiful plants. Today after checking if any bulbs were below the soil I have discovered that there are no bulbs only lots of plants that look like shallots or green onions. Could you please give me some advice on what may have happened. Also are the stems of the planrs able to be eaten like green onions? Thank you so much.
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01 Aug 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have looked up French shallots and they look a bit different to mine. My shallots are a cluster (when mature) of 6-12 segments, lightly attached together. As I pointed out below, if I grow them into the winter (planted Feb March April) they take a bit longer to form bulbs - they stay like a spring onion for longer - straight with no bulb. Left long enough they will bulb up. If I plant say now (August), when they mature in the hotter weather in Oct/Nov they go to bulb very quickly. I don't eat much of the green top but some do eat it. My suggestion is give them time to bulb. I eat them before they really bulb up - we eat them in salads, sandwiches or straight as they are raw.
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I've just grown my first crop of French shallots in a container, and would like to share a few tips / some advice from research and experience. French shallots are quite expensive if you buy the bulbs from a nursery or somewhere similar, though this can sometimes be worth it if you can find a unique or interesting variety. For mass plantings though, it's best to source the individual bulbs from a greengrocer or even supermarket. 15-20cm is a good spacing but I would err on the side of being more spacious if you wish to have larger bulbs - Klaus Leitenberger recommends 1 foot (30 cm) between bulbs. With soil fertility, probably the most important thing is to have plenty of rich organic compost. If you are using chemical fertiliser, eg. in a container, a regular feeding of balanced fertiliser with trace elements would work best, but be wary of fertilisers that are too high in nitrogen. This site recommends an Autumn planting for my climate, which is probably the best time of year overall, but I have found that an August / September planting for a Summer harvest also works fine - we have had weather from - 2 up to 42 C and they handled these fluctuations without stunting or disease setting in. The shallots are ready to harvest when about 3/4 of the plant looks dead / dying, the tops have yellowed and most have fallen over. Avoid the temptation to harvest too early, as they tend to swell at the end of their growth cycle. After harvesting, you just need to remove any large clumps of soil with your hands or a light amount of water, and then leave in a dry, full sun location for about a week. Some periods of light rain shouldn't worry you but if heavy rain is expected, you will need to move them to a dry and well-ventilated location. They are then good to store and use in the kitchen for at least a few weeks. French shallots are probably one of the easiest, tastiest and highest value crops you can grow in your home garden (I have seen them commonly in supermarkets for around $14 per kilo, sometimes higher). Like garlic, you get a large head from just planting a single bulb. If you are looking for recipes, they are used mostly in French and Indonesian cuisine (especially in French onion soup, which is divine with their inclusion). Happy gardening, P.

- Prometheus

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