Saving shallots for planting?

[Snadger]

I have had a tremendous crop of shallots this year and most of them came from my own saved sets from last year. The ones I kept and re-planted in the spring were a bit on the small side but they have given me whoppers this year.

My problem is that I would like to save some to re-plant in spring but I'm not sure whether to use my best whoppers or use the ones that would be normal shallot size in a normal year which are a lot smaller?

The smaller shallots will keep better and when growing onions from sets I always look for the smallest I can find as they seem less likely to bolt!

The downside I would think would be natural selection would mean I should in theory use the biggest, although small begat big this year!

Decisions, decisions!

[Cutecumber]

Lucky you!

The accepted wisdom is to choose the smaller sets for planting, but I confess I don't know why.

Strange that with garlic, you are advised to choose the fattest cloves...

[Cutecumber]

Snadger - I've just found an interesting article which I hadn't seen before

http://www.garlic-acres.com/shallots.html

[Snadger]

Snadger - I've just found an interesting article which I hadn't seen before

http://www.garlic-acres.com/shallots.html

Excellent article Cutecumber! Many thanks, highly informative!

So if you plant little sets you get small amounts of big shallots and if you plant large shallots you get lots of small shallots!

I think I'll try a bed of each and I may even try planting a bed of mixed in the Autumn as an experiment!

[Cutecumber]

well I think I'm going to try both autumn and spring planting this time, and maybe a few seeds too!

[shallotman]

Snadger . I have been using my own stock for many years, I hope the following will help, I have found that selecting the largest shaped ones, over the years will grow larger but less sets per shallot, ideal if you are not pickling, I tend to dust my stock with "Flowers of Sulphur" [this stops the "Memsahib" from using them for the kitchen, they must be well dried out, and kept in a fairly cold condition. My shed door faces north, so I hang them in an onion bag in the shed with the door open, check all bulbs regularly and dispose of any that start to fill a bit soft. [monthly] The old Dockers when I was a boy in the docks, would plant on the shortest day, though I do this but in pots, in the south facing wall of the house, I tend to add some sharp sand to the potting soil, so that should we have a lot of rain, they will not become waterlogged. They will seem to be dormant for some time, but they are making root. I plant out early spring using a trowel. I should add that prior to potting, I cut the straw top of with a pair of scissors, [carefully] Shallotman

[Alice]

What an interesting article Cutecumber and thanks for the info Percy.

[nick the grief]

I'd agree with what you said as well Percy. The locals to me who Show Shallots usually save the ones aroun the 1" diameter ( a 35mm film can is a usefull guage) and I do the same as you I plant mine usually after Chrismas Lunch ( in an effort to escape the washing up ) only I use the 15 cell packs that fit into a standard seedtray and then they go into my unheated greenhouse.

I always plant them with a bulb planter ..... there again I use a bulb planter for nearly everything!!