Harvesting Shallots

[vicpivo]

It's a really silly question but I can't find anything on the forum or internet giving me an idiots guide to harvesting my Shallots.

Do the shallots form at ground level or down with the roots? I pulled up one of the shallots I planted from a set and all I could find was an old onion/shallot at the base of the green plant and tonnes of white root. I had a rummage around under the roots and couldn't find anything.

The green stems were going brown and starting to droop slightly, so I assuming they would be nearly ready to pull up. Have I harvested too early, or am I unlucky with this specifc plant?

It's also got me thinking about harvesting Spuds - where will I find the them? ground surface or a little deeper? Does anyone know of a good article spelling out the obvious for harvesting veg?

[vicpivo]

I can't remember exactly, I think the bulk was about an inch under the surface with the green stalks showing through

[Cutecumber]

Shallot sets need to be planted so that the tops are just at or above the soil level (birds can be tempted to pull them out, though).

As they develop, when the tops are good and strong, the new shallots being created from the set may lift out from the soil a bit, sometimes almost completely - the more there are in the bunch which develop, the more they push up. It is recommended that as the plants mature, you move some of the soil away from the stem so the bulbs are more visible - it helps them ripen and dry.

When did you plant the sets? It sounds as if the original set has not split as it should.

[Cutecumber]

Sorry, I missed your question about potatoes.

Hopefully, you have planted your seed potatoes well under the ground, because the new potatoes develop around and above them. You need a good depth of soil (or a lightproof mulch) because exposure to sunlight makes the new tubers go green - and they become poisonous.

So, you should check where your tubers are (say three months after planting) by putting your hand in the soil - if there are any very near the surface, add some compost on the top. To harvest, use a garden fork and start a foot or so away from the foliage, dig down gently and with care. It is easy to spear the potatoes and then they will not store. Dig around a bit - potatoes can easily grow a foot from the plant in any direction, if you give them room.

[Headfry]

I usually rumage around gently in the soil with my hands for my new potatoes, if you are careful then the under developed potatoes will stay attached to plant an continue to grow! Just take what you need!

[vicpivo]

Cheers for the advice guys.

The spuds were deeper underground, so I'll have a rammage with my hands over the weekend and pull a few out!

The Shallots were the first things I put in my allotment - I woud guess it was around Mid March time. This was after leaving them in my shed for 4ish weeks in seedling trays growing.

The greenery is about 60cm high and looks about right in comparsion with fellow shallot growers on the allotment...... Should I leave them a little longer to mature, or try harvesting another plant?

[Cutecumber]

Can you see the shallots? They should be on the surface. If they are not, dig away some soil until you find the bulb - no need to pull anything up. Keep the bulb(s) exposed. The tops will get less green, maybe dry up a bit and you should see several bulbs clustered together.

I would be very surprised if March-planted shallots were ready now. Mine were planted then and I can only just see bulbs beginning to swell. Another six weeks for mine, possibly.

[ysb33r]

It's a really silly question but I can't find anything on the forum or internet giving me an idiots guide to harvesting my Shallots.

From Mr. Fothergills: http://fothergills.co.uk/en/content/...-shallots.aspx

[Cutecumber]

This page shows a photo of a clump of ripening shallots.

http://www.greenfingers.com/articledisplay.asp?id=756

In answer to your original question, "Do the shallots form at ground level or down with the roots?" - yes, and yes! If you planted a set just under the soil surface, the roots will grow down into the soil from it, and the new bulbs will form where the set was.

[Stacey]

so if you plant one little shallot thing you get how many shallots from it? I thought it just got bigger. And I thought that was the same for onions. Are they actually like garlic then? Sorry for my ignorance lol xx

[Cutecumber]

One shallot set (a small bulb) can produce from two up to twelve bulbs. It's sort of like garlic, yes, but you don't plant them as deep and the shallots which form are quite separate unlike the cloves in a garlic bulb.

One shallot seed produces one single bulb.

[Alice]

Thanks for the greenfingers link Cutecumber. Very useful. Good info about shallots too. Much appreciated.

[vicpivo]

Well found Cutecumber, I wish I saw this site before I pulled up an under developed Shallot. My Shallots are no where near ready to be harvested - I need to wait possibnly another few months for them to mature....

Thanks to you all for your advice.

[Cutecumber]

Glad to help. They are really amazing the way they develop - it's really interesting to watch them grow and split. I hope you have a big crop.

[Stacey]

does the same thing happen with onions then? and if you get one shallot from one seed then what do you do? harvest it or replant it or leave it to split? and again would it be the same for onions?