When to harvest shallots

[FoxHillGardener]

My shallots flopped over couple of weeks ago, but the leaves don't paticularly look to be dying back yet. There have split and are visible but not particularly laying on the top of the soil. If I leave them longer will they push themselves up and get bigger?

[PAULW]

When did you put them in? one saying is in the shortest day out the longest day, personally I would leave them in a bit longer I put some in late (half price at the GC)and they haven't even split yet,

[gojiberry]

If they still have green tops I would leave them and wait till the tops go brown then lift and dry. All the while they have green bits they are likely to be still growing and getting bigger bulbs.

Ian

[FoxHillGardener]

When did you put them in? one saying is in the shortest day out the longest day,

um, er, when, er... can't really remember and I've cleverly not written it on my planting record. Doh. I think I'll go with leaving them longer and see if they go brown then. The celeraic will just have to wait for their new home

[zazen999]

um, er, when, er... can't really remember and I've cleverly not written it on my planting record. Doh. I think I'll go with leaving them longer and see if they go brown then. The celeraic will just have to wait for their new home

Can you remember whether it was last year or this?

[Alison Adams]

slight diversion from the original question (apols to 'FHG') but I was given some leftover shallots by a neighbour, no idea what varieties but more than one I think. Only given them end of May so I stuck them in a space to see what happened - they now have about 4-6" growth - are they likely to have time to mature or am I wasting my time with them ?

[amandaandherveg]

My shallots went in early Feb and I noticed today that they have all flopped over. The bulbs have all split and are swelling nicely but the tops are still very green - I'm going to leave them a while and see how they go.

[COMPOST CORNER]

My shallots went in 22/03/09 and have started to brown at the tops of the shoots, does this mean they will be ready to harvest soon? The red and white onions and garlic are still green and lush in the same bed.

[FoxHillGardener]

Can you remember whether it was last year or this?

I think I put them in modules in autumn and then planted them out into the ground in late winter/early spring. That's what I meant to do but now I'm not convinced I didn't do them direct in spring... or maybe modules...really must write things down

[Snadger]

I've been around today pulling the soil back and allowing them to swell and ripen. I heard Bob Flowerdew mention it on the radio and as I'd planned to do it sometime anyway, today was as good a day as any!

[COMPOST CORNER]

I've been around today pulling the soil back and allowing them to swell and ripen. I heard Bob Flowerdew mention it on the radio and as I'd planned to do it sometime anyway, today was as good a day as any!

What does this entail, Snadger? And should I be doing it with my onions as well as my shallots? I have been going around covering, effectively eartthing up, my onions for the last week or so, is this wrong?

[Snadger]

What does this entail, Snadger? And should I be doing it with my onions as well as my shallots? I have been going around covering, effectively eartthing up, my onions for the last week or so, is this wrong?

You need to let the sunshine get to the bulbs to ripen them CC. Teasing the soil away from the bottom also stops them rotting where the bulb is in contact with the soil. It also creates a shallow depression around them which directs water to the roots where it's most needed.

Earth up leeks if you like but not onions!

[zazen999]

Yup, finger them

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ons_18972.html

[marigold007]

I've harvested my overwintered shallots:
http://marigoldmemoirs.blogspot.com/...s-harvest.html

and my Spring sown ones that I got half price have also flopped over and are getting quite big. Some from each I have found have some sort of white rot, which eats away at the base and the roots making them easy to pull out when weeding. Happily, I have found in this thread that it is probably basal fungal rot and not the dreaded white rot, which grows in cooler temperatures. It doesn't seem to affect too many plants around the affected bulbs. Does anyone know if both are treated in the same way? I was planning to spray the area with garlic when the temperatures are right next year.

Also, BTW, while I ramble on, I read that smaller shallots have a nicer shallot-y taste, so harvesting now might be an option for maximum taste? My seed bulbs were huge for the red ones that I planted.

[Snadger]

The top and bottom of it is you can harvest them whenever you like for eating straight away (I've just harvested half a dozen immature bulbs for a stew I'm making this evening) but if you want to keep them you have to let the tops die down and let the shallot ripen by turning a golden or pinky colour!