Shallots

[Dutch]

This is a picture of my first (spring) shallot crop. The lighting was not very good and the color is off a little, but it does show how many were harvested. I need to go out and get some batteries for my camera. When I get back I will take some pictures of the late (fall) crop. They are in the hog shed. Dutch

[KarenO]

They look like French Shallots. Very Nice. I find they keep a really long time. Do you grow Dutch shallots too? I like them as green onions as well and they are usually the first edible from my garden each spring I buy small organic shallots at the grocery store and grow them indoors for green onions in Winter here too.

KarenO

[Dutch]

Thanks Karen. I don't really know what kind they are. I got mine from my parent's garden over forty years ago and this variety of shallot have been in the family a long time before that.
Dutch

[Dutch]

Here is a picture of the fall ones taken out in the hog shed.

[JJJessee]

When do you put them in the ground,
and how many divisions will a bulb make,
and when are they harvested ?
:-)

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by JJJessee

When do you put them in the ground,
and how many divisions will a bulb make,
and when are they harvested ?
:-)

Hi Jesse,
I start them in a greenhouse in late March or early April. At that time of year the greenhouse is not heated.
I don't put them in the ground anymore. When we did they were actual above ground in the middle of a hilled row. Now a days I grow them in twelve inch round self watering containers.
They make between two to six inner cloves. Three are common in a so so year and five is common in a good year.
I harvest them when the tops turn yellow and start to dry out.
Dutch

[luigiwu]

I thought I read that shallot don't keep well, how long do yours keep? How deep are your selfwatering containers and planting spacing? thx! they are beautiful!

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by luigiwu

I thought I read that shallot don't keep well, how long do yours keep? How deep are your selfwatering containers and planting spacing? thx! they are beautiful!

The ones I grow keep all winter long and I will replant the inner cloves in the spring.
The containers are about eight inches deep and I make a circle with five of them and one in the middle.
Dutch

[Tormato]

Most shallots I've seen don't keep very long. French Gray Griselle can keep fairly long.

Dutch,

Interested in a trade for some of yours, in early spring?

Gary

[KarenO]

I find mine keep longer than my onions. both French and Dutch types. The humidity is low here generally though so perhaps that makes a difference.
They are wonderful to cook with and quite expensive here in grocery stores so they are well worth growing in my garden. There are never too many so they get used up pretty fast so really long storage is not a big issue for me.
Karen

[Hermitian]

Mine keep a long time too. When I harvest, I replant the smaller slips immediately for next time.

[Dutch]

Below are pictures of the shallots I grow with the dried covering removed. The greenish/white end is the bottom or where the roots come out from and pinkish/purple end is where the growing stalk comes out. From the bottom end view you can see where four inner cloves would have developed, had I let this sit over the winter. By spring time the whole outside of the shallot will have shriveled up and no longer be good for sautéing. Little shoots will start popping out from each inner clove and it will be time to start planting them.
Dutch

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by Dutch

Below are pictures of the shallots I grow with the dried covering removed. The greenish/white end is the bottom or where the roots come out from and pinkish/purple end is where the growing stalk comes out. From the bottom end view you can see where four inner cloves would have developed, had I let this sit over the winter. By spring time the whole outside of the shallot will have shriveled up and no longer be good for sautéing. Little shoots will start popping out from each inner clove and it will be time to start planting them.
Dutch

Dutch, I think you've got a great approach for shallots and a few other tubers for climates cooler than mine. It's called paying attention to details.

The more I read about what folks "up north" go through the more fortunate I feel about some of my crops. For shallots, I typically harvest tennis-ball size bulbs and leave the grocery-size bulbs to grow out in the coming months.

[bower]

Dutch, your shallots look wonderful!
Do the shallots ever flower and set seeds?

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by bower

Dutch, your shallots look wonderful!
Do the shallots ever flower and set seeds?

Thanks Bower!
No. I've never seen these shallots flower.
Dutch