Growing shallots

RHYSDAD

Hello all, i've never grown shallots before and after seeing some in the garden centre, i'm going to have a go and grow some for pickling. There's just one thing i can't get my head round. They come in bags of 12 bulbs. Is that it?, i grow 12 bulbs and i get get 12 shallots or is it like garlic and lots of new plants will grow from the one bulb. Help please for the village idiot......

jellymid

You'll get multiple shallots from one bulb and I've found the earlier they go in the bigger the shallots. Even though I know this, I always seem to be a bit late . You often get six or more from one bulb. Have fun!

RHYSDAD

jellymid wrote: »

You'll get multiple shallots from one bulb and I've found the earlier they go in the bigger the shallots. Even though I know this, I always seem to be a bit late . You often get six or more from one bulb. Have fun!

I thought it a bit strange that you'd only get 12 shallots! Thanks for the reply. :T

Any further tips (including on the pickling) would be much appreciated!

lolarentt

They grow like a garlic bulb, which splits into small cloves, that's why they have sort of straight sides when you see them. Also well worth growing onions - I always grow Red Baron (red onions obviously!) and Setton for whites. Last us through the winter hanging in strings on a rack on the kitchen wall. Main thing to ensure with onions is that they are completely dry before you try and store them and that they are kept in a dry place with some air circulation. One tiny onion planted produces one very large onion!

For pickling I use malt vinegar (don't like them pale and wan looking) with added spices (peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice, bay, chillies - whatever you fancy). You can buy ready seasoned pickling vinegar but that's not nearly as much fun!

PharmaAl

You can also grow them from seed. I would think that would be more cost effective and you would get more choice of varieties. One seed would produce one shallot

RHYSDAD

PharmaAl wrote: »

You can also grow them from seed. I would think that would be more cost effective and you would get more choice of varieties. One seed would produce one shallot

If i did it this way, when would i need to sow to be able to harvest later on in the year?

Thanks for the advice BTW!!

lolarentt

If you sow seed your really looking at overwintering to get anything worthwhile. The small bulbs you plant for onions, garlic, shallots etc are already 1 season old so you're growing them on in their second season. I grow salad/spring onions from seed each year as you can pull these from thinnings onwards to larger ones later in the season. You can do this with most ordinary white onions (as well as those labelled as specific for 'spring' onions) if you want to overwinter, as you take the thinnings in the first season and use for 'spring' onions, leaving the rest to overwinter for a crop of full size onions the next year.

I hope that's all reasonably clear!!!

PharmaAl

I have bought some seeds today and it seems you need to plant them now in the warmth until they have second leaves, then repot and transfer to cooler position. Ive got banana shallot seeds and Kelsae onions as I like to experiment with new things each year. Can't wait to get planting tomorrow!