Shallots
Allium cepa, Aggregatum grp. ALLIACEAE.
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Shallots
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow shallots in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- How many shallots to plant
- Growing conditions for shallots
- When to plant shallots
- How to plant shallots
- Watering, fertilizing, and pruning shallots
- Companion plantings for shallots
- How to harvest, store, and use shallots
Growing Shallots
Shallots are cool-season perennial bulb vegetables and close relatives of onion. Shallots have narrow, hollow leaves, to 2 ft. (60 cm) tall, and grow in a bunching habit to form groups of pungent, swollen roots containing garliclike cloves.
The cloves of shallot are 3/4–1-1/2-in. (19–38-mm) wide, with a flavor midway between onion and garlic. Each clove is protected by a brown papery sheath.
Shallots left in the ground from season to season eventually divide into multiple plants, called “shallot bunches.”
Shallot Plant and Care Guide
How Much to Plant
Allow 4–6 plants per household member.
How to Plant
Seed germinates in 10–12 days.
Average climates: Plant outer cloves in full sun in early spring and again in early autumn.
Mild-Winter Climates: Plant cloves in spring, autumn, and winter, while soil temperatures remain 35–90°F (2–32°C).
Plant individual cloves, broad end down, with 1/2-in. (12-mm) of soil to cover, 5–8 in. (13–20 cm) apart, in rows 2–4 ft. (60–120 cm) apart.
Shallots require a 1-month dormant period after planting, with temperatures of 32–50°F (0–10°C).
Best Conditions for Growth
40–85°F (4–29°C). Zones 3–9. Best in cold-winter climates, requiring warmth to develop bulbs.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy loam. Fertility: Rich. 5.0–6.8 pH. Avoid planting in sites previously used to grow garlic to prevent accumulation of pest organisms in soil.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist. Fertilize annually in spring with 5–10–10 formula. Mulch over bunches when sprouts emerge with organic compost in a layer 1–2 in. (25–50 mm) deep. Cultivate. Lodge stalks intended for harvest when 16–18 in. (40–45 cm) tall, 3–4 weeks before planned harvest date. Pest and disease susceptible; choose resistant cultivars.
Pairing Recommendations
Beets, lettuce, strawberries, summer savory, and tomatoes.
Maturity, Picking and Gathering
60–120 days. Harvest in summer when tops wither. Separate heads carefully from the bunch with a hand trowel or fork. Cure harvested bulbs for 2–3 weeks in a sunny, warm, dry area before use or storage.
How to Store and Preserve
Fresh, in a porous fabric bag in a dark, cool, dry spot, for 6 months; minced, packed into ice cube trays, frozen, and sealed in airtight containers, 1 year. Substitute shallots for onions in quiches, omelets, and delicately flavored dishes, or sauté with wine and butter to make sauces for red meat dishes. Chopped raw shallot greens can be used as a garnish, as for chives.