Growing Shallots, also Eschalots

Allium cepa, aggregatum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		P	P	P

(Best months for growing Shallots in Australia - temperate regions)

P = Sow seed

Easy to grow. Plant small bulblets, with stem just showing above ground. Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
Space plants: 15 - 20 cm 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

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, DavidH (Australia - temperate climate): i've planted shallots seeds two weeks ago and was wondering how long till i see the seeds germinate?
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29 Jul 08, RayS (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Shallots have a different meaning depending on which state in Australia you live. Which do you mean, Allium fistulosum, also known as Spring Onions in some places, or Allium cepa Aggregatum Group (formerly Allium ascalonicum), sometimes called eschalots?
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10 Sep 08, sue (Australia - temperate climate): could you please tell me is this easy to grow and if so do you have any tips for me I live in Brisbane and Im ready to plant
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28 Dec 08, Wendy (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Does anyone know where I can get bulbs of the old-fashioned allium known as Potato Onion? They form little bulbs around the outside of the mother bulb, usually red-skinned, I've heard they're easy to grow, used to be common but are now rarely heard of. Much appreciated.
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27 Jan 09, Grahame (Australia - temperate climate): Wendy, potato onions are still around and in my opinion are the only things that should be called Eschallots, the others are just spring onions or green onions. I originally bought some from a good nursery in Canberra about 4 years ago as bulbs just like you would buy tulips or something similar. A nursery should be able to find you some, they probably just don't bother stocking them as they are 'out of fashion'. I have also noticed recently that there have been some for sale in one of the supermarket chains (safeway or woolworths) in the 'fresh food' section near the garlic. I have hundreds of them in a couple of varieties now as I'm looking at growing some organically for market so If you can't find any I might be able to organise to send you some if you like. Grahame
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01 Feb 09, Adam (Australia - temperate climate): I would love to try growing shallots (not spring onions) in Brisbane but cannot seem to be able to find seeds or seedlings anywhere. Anyone know where I might be able to find these? This is similar to what I am after: https://secure.diggersgardenclub.com.au/c-34-onions-shallots.aspx Thanks Adam
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30 May 09, melody (Australia - sub-tropical climate): could anyone tell me where to get banana shallots for growing (long red florence ) red onion?
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07 Jun 09, carolyn (Australia - cool/mountain climate): HI want to get some shallots- Grahame would love to buy some from you if you happen to see this, or if anybody else has some available. carolyn
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20 Jun 09, St.John (Australia - temperate climate): Hi there, I like Carolyn am chasing some Eschallot bulbs to grow just outside Perth. Does any one have any bulbs to sell or can i just plant the ones i buy at the super market. Any tips would be great, thanks St.John
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05 Jul 09, Grahame (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Carolyn and St.John, Sorry I just read this post again after a long time and I just finished re-planting all of the eshallots and potato onions I had left a week or so ago. I have planted a few thousand of each this year and plan to sell some after this harvest. I'm not sure if I would be allowed to send them to WA though as they seem to have restrictions on most plant materials. If you are still interested at after Christmas I can see about getting some to you. Is there some way of doing private message on here?
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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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Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Shallots, also Eschalots

Allium cepa, aggregatum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Shallots

Your comments and tips

Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Shallots, also Eschalots

Allium cepa, aggregatum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Shallots

Your comments and tips

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