Shallots

[Bill Door]

I have never grown biggish shallots.

This year has been the same.  My shallots were in the same bed as the onion sets.  The onions have grown really well but the shallots are small.  It is as if the shallot was planted too deep and the new bulbs did not (or could not) expand beyond the space formed by the original shallot.  I get five or six new shallots but they are not large.  They just look as if they have been restricted.  I have spaced the shallots 5 inches apart and four inches apart but there is no difference in the size.  It is the same for the round and long shallots.

So the question is how deep do you plant your shallots?  Do you do anything like scrapping away the soil as they grow?

Any tips will be appreciated.  I am probably looking for something that is impossible but I feel I want to try.

Bill

[Bill Door]

[BockingBill]

Always bury mine deep enough so that the birds don't pull them up. By the time they are harvested they are always sitting proud on top by their own efforts

We don't particularly care over much about the size - its more the flavour we look (taste) for.

[artichoke]

I'm not  an  expert  but I am pleased with my shallots this year. They  are not huge, but  fairly uniform,  and up to 8 shallots from the original single  bulb.

I planted them in soft soil just  deep enough that birds don't see the tips  and pull them out (I have  never had this happen, though we are always warned  against it).

I feel that  their only constraints were lack of rain  and the weeds that I did not keep on top of  - not the soil or depth  of  planting.

I feel rather lucky that  the very  tall  weeds  did not  restrict  their growth as  much as  I expected.

I don't  know  if  this helps  at  all.

[Bill Door]

Thanks both.

Have eaten a few of this years crop and they taste fine.

I kept them weeded and only put them in the ground so that the top was out of the way of birds.  I was thinking of only half covering them in soil and covering with netting or fleece next year.

Bill

[Deb P]

Suggest you try Jermor or Longor shallot sets which are the largest and plant them in October to overwinter. Usually get a very good crop of large shallots that way, 6-10 from one original set.

[goodlife]

Multiplying shallot don't grow very big anyway..but...while they are in growing stage you could carefully pull few off from the clump to use as fresh and the once left in clump have room to grow. You will end up with fewer but larger bulbs.
When I do my 'thinning' (not rutinely but for to early use) I usually water the clump first so that the roots will slide out without damaging the others and water again afterwards to settle the soil back around the roots.