My shallots won't grow

[craftyslh]

I planted my shallots at the end of April as my plot wasn't ready. 8 inches apart, 2 inches deep (Alan Titchmarsh directions). Out of 2 packets only 3 are growing. Just dug down to find a perfect shallot but no signs of growth.
Help, any ideas why!


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[WendyC]

Your plot wasn't ready so you planted them.... Where? I always plant them with the tip just poking through the soil. They sound rather deep to me. The roots grow first then the leaves.

[craftyslh]

We prepped the plot, then planted, so they went in later than I normally would. As we have loads of pigeons I followed advice to plant so tip didn't show. Must admit I've always pushed them in with tip showing before but followed different advice this time


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[chefgage]

i always plant my shallots with most of the bulb above ground. i just press them in slightly and they always grow well. I think (but im no expert!) that you may have planted them far too deep

[DannyRam]

What Chefgage said but I cover them with chicken wire.

[Bigmallly]

Yep, sound as though they are too deep. I also plant Onions & Shallots with their tips showing.

[Richard Eldritch]

2 inches is very deep. Down there it's cold and wet so they may remain dormant. I'm growing from seed this year but I plant sets with just the tip poking out of the ground.

[Two_Sheds]

we have loads of pigeons I followed advice to plant so tip didn't show.

Pigeons don't eat onions though.


The advice is to plant so the tip is "just showing", not 2 inches under. It's getting on a bit now, but you could try scraping some of the soil off them, so they have less soil to grow through before they see sunlight.

The old wives tale is that birds pull onions up thinking they're worms. However, the onions push themselves out of the soil.
Even if you push onions into modules in the shut greenhouse, the onions will still push themselves up out of their pots, by their roots.

[Bigmallly]

Removing some of the husk may also help speed things up.

[Mr Bones]

Were they by any chance Banana shallots, they need to be grown from seed.