RHS Growing Guides
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Shallots.
1
Getting Started
Section 1 of 9
Shallots are easy to grow from immature
These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.
Smaller, milder and sweeter than most onions, shallots are an easy crop for a sunny site
Month by Month
Jobs to do now
- Feed
- Water
- Feed
- Water
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| Plant | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y |
| Harvest | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
2
Choosing
Section 2 of 9
There are many shallot varieties to choose from, producing bulbs of various shapes, colours and sizes, with different flavours and levels of sweetness. Bulbs can be rounded, teardrop shaped or elongated. Some varieties store particularly well, others may be resistant to disease or bolting. Varieties with an RHS Award of Garden Merit(AGM) are a good choice and should produce a reliable crop â see our list of AGM fruit and vegand ourRecommended Varieties below.
Sets or seeds?
Shallots can be started from seed, but are more usually grown from sets (immature bulbs). Each set produces a cluster of new bulbs, whereas a seed produces just one. Sets are the easier option, and are quicker to grow, fare better in colder regions and tend to be less vulnerable to disease. However, they are more expensive and must be planted soon after buying. Choose heat-treated sets to reduce the risk of bolting (flowering).
Seeds, on the other hand,are usually cheaper to buy and a packet could last several years. Seed-raised plants are less likely to bolt, but grow more slowly and need more attention in the early stages.
Shallot come in various shapes, including rounded, teardrop and torpedo (or banana) types
What and where to buy
Shallot sets are available in autumn and spring in garden centres and from online retailers. Seeds are usually available from similar sources all year round. You may also find young plants on sale in garden centres in spring and early summer, ready for planting out â ideal if you only want a few.
Recommended Varieties
'Camelot'
Teardrop-shaped bulbs have a red skin and white flesh, and store well. Available as seeds.
The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden.
Wild bees and other pollinators are in decline. The Plants for Pollinators initiative helps gardeners easily identify plants that encourage them back into the garden
'Longor'
An elongated banana-type with robust flavour. Each set produces up to eight shallots.Stores well.
The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden.
Wild bees and other pollinators are in decline. The Plants for Pollinators initiative helps gardeners easily identify plants that encourage them back into the garden
'Matador'
Produces a good harvest of rounded, reddish-brown bulbs that store well. Available as seeds.
The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden.
Wild bees and other pollinators are in decline. The Plants for Pollinators initiative helps gardeners easily identify plants that encourage them back into the garden
Showing 3 out of 5 varieties
3
Preparing the Ground
Section 3 of 9
To produce a good crop, shallots need a sunny, sheltered site with fertile, well-drained soil. Raised beds are usually ideal.Avoid growing in damp soil, as this makes the crop more prone to fungal diseases. Shallots have a limited root system, so improving the soil with organic matter before sowing or planting is invaluable â fork in a bucketful of well-rotted (not fresh) manure or garden compost per square metre/yard. This improves the soil structure and helps to hold moisture in the soil. You could alsoapply a high potassium general fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4 (one handful per square metre/yard). Shallots wonât do well in acid soil (below pH 6.5), so if necessary, reduce acidity by adding lime in autumn or winter.
Shallots are best suited to growing in the ground, but if your soil isnât suitable or you donât have spare space, you could plant a few in a large, deep trough or patio container in a sunny spot. Shallots wonât do well in growing bags.
4
Sowing
Sowing indoors
Sow shallot seeds in late winter in modular trays or small pots. Sow five or six in each module/pot, then thin outto three or four seedlings. Each seed will only produce one bulb, so sowing several together will produce a clump. Seeds need 10â16°C (50â60°F) to germinate. Keep the seedlings in a warm bright place â they can be transplanted outside in spring â see Planting below.
Sowing outdoors
Sow shallot seeds from early to mid-spring outdoors, once the soil is drier and beginning to warm up. Prepare the sowing site as described above. Sow the seeds thinly, in drills 1cm (½in) deep, spacing rows 20cm (8in) apart. Protect the seedlings from slugs and snails, especially in damp weather. Thin out the seedlings first to 5cm (2in) apart, then later to 10cm (4in). Closer spacing will result in more bulbs and a heavier overall crop, but smaller individual bulbs.
5
Planting
Section 5 of 9
You can plant shallots either as sets, in autumn or spring, or as young seed-raised plants in spring.
Planting sets
Push the set gently into loose soil or dig a small hole, planting so only the papery tip shows
Another planting option is to cover the ground with biodegradable weed-suppressing membrane, then plant the sets through slits, to reduce the need for weeding.
Related RHS Guides
TOP TIP
Birds have a tendency to peck newly planted sets out of the ground, so check regularly and replant any that are displaced. If it happens a lot, consider covering them until well rooted with somere-used feece or a plastic-free alternative.
Planting young plants
Plant seed-raised shallots outside in spring, in a sunny, weed-free plot, then water well
6
Plant Care
Section 6 of 9
Watering
Once well rooted in, shallots donât generally need wateringexcept inprolonged dry spells in early summer or if growing in a container. Avoid watering once the bulbs have swollen in mid-summer. Watering spring-planted crops after mid-summer can mean they store less successfully. Also try to avoid wetting the bulbs or foliageif you do water, as this can encourage fungal diseases.
Feeding
In late winter, give autumn-planted shallots a nitrogen-rich fertiliser, such as sulphate of ammonia, at a rate of 35g (1oz) per square metre/yard, or use a dry poultry manure.This not only improves growth but can also deter premature flowering (bolting). You can also give an occasional feed with a general liquid fertiliser, from spring to mid-summer, especially if plants are in containers.
Related RHS Guides
Weeding
For a good crop of shallots, itâs important to keep weeds at bay.Shallot leaves cast little shade, so weeds grow readily and can soon swamp the crop, leading to poor growth andsmaller bulbs. So weed regularly, ideally by hand. If usinga hoe, be careful not to damage the bulbs or foliage. Planting through a biodegradable weed-suppressing membrane (see Planting, above) reduces the need for weeding.
Related RHS Guides
Removing flowers
Remove any flower stems as soon as they start to form, otherwise the plantâs energy will go into producing the flower, rather than swelling the bulbs. It also means the bulbs wonât store well, so at harvest time set aside any that tried to flower, to use first.
7
Harvesting
Section 7 of 9
Harvest shallots once the leaves flop over and start to die back
8
Storing
Section 8 of 9
Shallots generally store really well, for at least six to eight months. Dry the bulbs fully before storing. Lay them out in a single layer on wire racks or slatted trays, so air can circulate beneath. Leave them outdoors in full sun to dry for about two weeks or in a greenhouse or well-ventilated shed if the weather is damp.
When ready for storing, all the foliage should be dry and papery. Only store perfect, undamaged bulbs. Trim off any remaining dried foliage, then place the bulbs in net bags or trays in a single layer and keep in a light, cool, dry and well-ventilated place. Avoid storing in the dark, as this encourages sprouting.
9
Problems
Section 9 of 9
Shallots are easy to grow and relatively trouble free, although they can be affected by various fungal diseases that affect the onion family, especially in damp growing conditions or if poorly stored.Flowering (bolting), triggered by low temperatures in spring, means bulbs wonât store well. Onion fly can cause problems, while slugs and snails may eat the foliage.
