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
  • "Tree Onions" (commons.wikimedia.org - Liez - CC BY 3.0)

Shallots are grown from small bulbs kept from the main plant. Once they are established, you can keep your supply going indefinitely by saving a few bulblets each year.

A type of small mild multiplying onion, popular in French cooking.

Tree onions or 'walking onions' produce bulbs at the top of the stem.

Shallots are not spring onions and are quite different to the green bunching 'Eschallots' (Allium fistulosum) which, just to confuse us, are also sometimes called 'shallots' in Eastern Australia.

They are more like garlic in their growth as they form a clump of bulbs at the base of the stem.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Shallots

Use in any recipe instead of onions.
Can be cooked whole, braised gently with other vegetables.
Sometimes pickled.

Your comments and tips

28 Jul 08, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
DavidH, shallots take about 2 weeks to germinate, so you probably won't see anything for another week or so.
29 Jul 08, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
RayS, allium cepa but the growing conditions are similar for both a.cepa and a.fistulosum.
19 Oct 09, jenny V. (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Have flourishing shallots I bought at a supermarket. Do I wait until their foliage dies before I pull them out or can I use them now, as I want to do? Love shallots.
03 Jan 23, Wayne Jacobsen (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Yes. Wait till leaves start to die off - March or April. I 'tickle' a few a bit earlier if needed. In December/January, give the clumps a dose of general fertiliser or blood and bone - this boosts the developing bulbs.
01 Mar 10, Christine (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Grew shallots for the first time this year. Magnificent. I bought a bag cheap from the supermarket because they were sprouting, didn't really know what I was doing but treated as garlic and had 4-6 large bulbs per plant. They were pretty small bulbs originally so will be saving the large bulbs from this years crop and should have up to 12. Give each bulb plenty of room to spread and lots of feed.
30 Sep 10, Heather Pearson (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I grow my shallots from seed from August through to October, also red and pukekohe onions. That way I get lots of plants and they do very well. I stagger seed sowing so they do not all mature at once. I fertilise with lots of sheep pellets and blood and bone.
16 Mar 17, tony (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I bought some of those long trendy French shallots from the supermarket and put them in and let them go to seed. Now I have heaps of seed for new plants. Same with red and white onions.
17 Mar 17, Jo (Australia - temperate climate)
That is a good way to get seed for next seasons crop or to have some to swap or giveaway. Seed can be saved from most vegetables but select a good plant to save seed rather than a poor one as this will increase the chance of good plants from the seed. This is also a good idea to save money, we should encourage it more.
30 May 18, Pam (New Zealand - temperate climate)
please can you tell me where I can purchase small round shallots seed in NZ
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:)
Showing 1 - 10 of 17 comments

please can you tell me where I can purchase small round shallots seed in NZ

- Pam

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