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      

(Best months for growing Shallots in USA - Zone 5a 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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20 Sep 19, Peter Devenny (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
hi anon, I live in a unit and grow all my vegies in Pots on the balcony with great success, however as you stated pots can dry out quickly and nutrients do leech out , i use seaweed mix once a fortnight and dynamic lifter (pelletised) once a month, i also diligently keep an eye on the moisture lvls, i have found using a good mulch about 3 cm deep on top helps with the moisture retention, Happy Gardening. Peter
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22 Apr 20, Meme (Australia - tropical climate)
Thanks for this info as I too will be growing a lot in containers as I am older and bending is not an option I have anymore as well as on my knees. Oh for the good ol' days when my body was more able. Regardless growing especially things you love is a great and satisfying project
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25 Sep 19, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I fertilise before I plant with straights (chemical fert) and water 3 times a week. My fert costs $1-1.5/kg compared to up to $15-20/kg for some of the small fancy stuff. I do take it that people in units have a very limited growing area. And as I said doing pots requires a lot more attention. I also use mulch around most of my plant. I do 12 pallet size raised garden beds half a year for a school. A 12m x 2m home garden 9 mths of the year. I am presently setting up (and will be the operator) 12 garden beds, each 4.8m x 2.5m for a disable group. I'm just finishing off a 6 bay composting system. They are each a pallet high, wide and deep. Cheers
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17 Sep 19, Peter Devenny (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
yes you can , however I personally would go with Searles brand, available in 30 or 60 ltr bags, depending on potting mix you might like to add some sharp sand for extra drainage and of course the cheaper potting mixes will require extra fertilizers before planting
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21 Sep 19, Peter Devenny (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I also add a 20ltr mushroom compost and a 1 in 3 mix of sharp sand to help with the drainage to the 60ltr searles premium potting mix, i also use self watering pots for the more susepitable vegies to drying out. happy gardening :)
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15 Sep 19, Kathleen Foxwell (Australia - tropical climate)
I have planted shallot seeds. When they are due to be harvested they are only as thick as a piece of 8 ply wool. How do I make them grow bigger?
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16 Sep 19, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
For over 50 years my mother and I have always grown shallots from bulbs. Kept some bulbs from one year (from spring crop) for planting the next year - autumn into late winter. A lot of different people have different names for shallots. The way to have good thick stalks is to grow in full sun, plenty of fertiliser and water. If the leaves are a nice deep green colour all is right - if light green yellow - they need fertiliser.
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14 Sep 19, Greg O'Brien (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Anyone! We’re keen to try growing golden shallots and need to find a contact where we can buy a reasonably large amount of seed cloves. Anybody able to help?
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16 Sep 19, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Do you mean the little gold/brown shallot/onion. I grow what I call shallots - the cluster of bulbs - purple/brown colour when fully grown. You let the shallot fully grow and seed and then harvest the cluster of bulbs. I usually save some from one year for the next year. I had a lot this year and have a few left now. Usually by now they have dried out to nothing or when some humidity about they start shooting. I doubt I have enough for you but what I have left could be planted - have to be real soon though. I live Coral Cove - via Bundy.
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04 Aug 19, Rosemary Smit (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
I have a salad and herb garden at my restaurant. Where to go to buy shallot seedlings or bulbs. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Rosemary.0728844936.
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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.

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