Shallot Recommendation Please.

[ginger ninger]

A word of warning GN. I missed putting seed in last year and saw some sets at Wilko's which looked healthy and cheap. Cheap was the word and so was the performance. Very disappointing and their red onions were even worse. It certainly spurred me on with the seed this year. And I'm usually a fan of Wilko's.

Thanks for that sarraceniac, I think I'll be investing in the "PASANDOR" French & the "PICASSO" Dutch, if I'm only going to buy them once I might as well buy the better quality. My neighbour's going half's with me so its not too expensive. There going into home made compost, soil and lots of worm cast mix, so they stand a good chance of doing really well.

Thanks Zazen, I'll try to remember to save some, I'm very greedy though when it comes to shallots, I just love them.

[Two_Sheds]

Last year I bought ... Shallots from Wilkinsons... but they were a bit small.

Wilko's which looked healthy and cheap. Cheap was the word and so was the performance.

I'd never had white rot on my plot until I planted Wilko's onions

[zazen999]

Thanks Zazen, I'll try to remember to save some, I'm very greedy though when it comes to shallots, I just love them.

I think I'm ingrained now - about 90% of all my crops are for eating but I always factor in 10% just for saving...for next year's crops...unless it is a non-saving one and then I still feel like I should let some go to seed!

[pipscariad]

Two Sheds would be pleased with me - I have just searched shallots, worked through the results and with the help of you good grapes decided to order some Pesandor shallots from T & M (blanched a bit at the price, but am keeping Zazens comments about saving some for using the following year in mind....).

Never grown shallots before and feel absurdly excited about the prospect

[Lazgaot]

An old boy on my site advises to plant your shallots on the shortest day and pull them on the longest. He gives his loads of room, almost 12" each way and his last crop was amazing, each set had split into about 15 large shallots. I've just put mine in, about 3 months earlier than i did last year so fingers crossed I'll have a good crop.

[Two_Sheds]

Two Sheds would be pleased with me - I have just searched ...

Good work, you can have a sticker

[Flummery]

My faves are Red Sun. I usually get good yields from them and I like the flavour. It's all subjective though eh?

[susiewoosie]

I'm growing Red Sun this year as well as 2 others that I've forgotten the name off. I will definitely be saving some for next year.

[pipscariad]

Good work, you can have a sticker

Oo, thanks See, sometimes it pays dividends to keep repeating things that are worth knowing! Although I'm sure I haven't mastered the excellent search facility fully yet... Apple Miss?

[susiewoosie]

Are banana shallots the name or the type. The reason I'm asking is that I will be buying some echalion shallots from Asda. Do you think I could try and plant some?

[Alison]

I've got some Jermor in the ground already which were bought cheap at the garden centre and will be putting some of last years Vigarmor in modules at the weekend. They're a French type supposedly similar to Pesandor and very nice when I grew them last year which is why I'm replanting some of the small bulbs this year.

[Storming Norman]

Does anyone else do this?

I've put my shallots into modules - they sprouted on the kitchen window last week and are now in the [rather cold]greenhouse. They can go out when the weather is not so awful as they already have good roots.

Some were saved from last years crop of Jermors and some from the supermarket.

They were planted late last year - hence the modules, it worked well so I thought I would repeat.

The Jermor shallots were really tasty pickled - with a bit of corriander seed in the vinegar. Yum.

[Headbrewer]

I love shallots and after a bit of searching I found some different varities at Plants of Distinction.

Plants of Distinction

Certainly more expensive than Wilco's, however the size and quality are superb. I am hoping to get enough this year to be able to have enough left over to replant next year. To help I have already planted one packet of banana shallots already.

Has anyone been able to get Zebrune Shallot seeds from anywhere?

[bazzaboy]

The old fashioned way is to sort your harvest and keep enough medium sized shallots for planting next year. That way you never need to buy sets after the initial year. I have about 60 sets to go in from last year and they haven't cost me anything except time.

Ian

Once you have shallots; you should be keeping back some every year for the next sowing - you should only have to buy once. Then you end up with a type that likes your conditions.

I always factor in 10% just for saving...for next year's crops...unless it is a non-saving one and then I still feel like I should let some go to seed!

Reviving this thread as I'm a bit obsessed with shallots (for local exhibition as well as eating) just now.... Am I right in thinking that when you plant a shallot set you get a cluster of shallots but when you plant a shallot seed you get a single shallot? And most shallot sets you buy from commercial suppliers are from seed (i.e. year 1) so are single and perfectly rounded? Then if you plant a Year 1 single shallot you get the multiplier effect, the cluster (year 2)? But if you use your own sets you don't grow from seed but split an existing shallot into it's constituent cloves (similar to garlic but not as many separate cloves) and you plant them? But they won't be rounded as Year-1-from-seed sets but quite irregular in shape but will still grow a cluster of rounded shallots???? Is that right? I've no idea what I'm doing.... Thanks for any help.

[bazzaboy]

Ah, I think after a bit of googling I can now answer this myself… Yes the single ones are usually Year 1 from seeds. In terms of splitting bulbs basically it doesn’t seem to matter (except that by separating the “cloves” within a single wrapped “bulb” they will have more room which might prove marginally better for producing shapely exhibition models…).
I found the answer in some very extensive articles on potato onions by Kelly Winterton who dealt with every aspect and had dissected one to explain how the multiplier effect works in potato onions and shallots… There’s clearly an identifiable kernel for each new bulb (see pic) that will develop so if there are two groups co-joined in one bulb (say 5 in one as in the pic and 3 in another) there will simply be a bigger outcome (in that case 8) of new bulbs.
The full articles (over 100 pages on potato onions!) are at: http://docs.google.com/document/d/1j...hl=en_US&pli=1
and
http://docs.google.com/document/d/1y...v4M/edit?pli=1