Shallots - What do they produce? One shallot or a bunch?
This is my first year growing shallots, so I was wondering...what do they produce exactly? The ones I have planted have some nice green onion type tops growing - but do they produce a bunch of little shallots? Just one? When do they need harvesting?
Each bulb you plant will send up from a few to many sets of leaves, each set of leaves will produce another bulb. A few will probably send up a flower stalk. The multiplication depends on the size of the bulb you plant, but high multilication usually means slightly smaller bulbs. I get a multiplication of from three to ten per planted bulb.
The plant will fall over and then after a while the leaves will start to die back. When the leaves start to die back dig them up and dry them out of the sun.
The plant will fall over and then after a while the leaves will start to die back. When the leaves start to die back dig them up and dry them out of the sun.
Back during the days when I only had French Grey and Dutch Golden shallots (which lasted until I inadvertently ate all my Dutch Golden shallots one winter, then I only had French Grey 
), I never saw a shallot bloom.
For 15 years probably, I replanted the sets each spring and they divided and I replanted the clones . . . never seeing a shallot flower. Then, I bought some hybrid seed.
Replanting some of the sets for a 2nd year, about 10% of them bloomed
! I've yet to save seed from the blooms < shrug >. Maybe someday I will be curious enuf as to what these offspring of hybrids will do. But, I've been inspired enuf by shallots from seed that I've now got 2 lines going - Prisma & Picador. They are both red shallots (golden shallots are now just a distant memory 
).
In my garden, seed will produce one large shallot. Replanting that will result in multiplying and smaller bulbs. They are larger than the old French Grey, however.
Steve
), I never saw a shallot bloom.For 15 years probably, I replanted the sets each spring and they divided and I replanted the clones . . . never seeing a shallot flower. Then, I bought some hybrid seed.
Replanting some of the sets for a 2nd year, about 10% of them bloomed
! I've yet to save seed from the blooms < shrug >. Maybe someday I will be curious enuf as to what these offspring of hybrids will do. But, I've been inspired enuf by shallots from seed that I've now got 2 lines going - Prisma & Picador. They are both red shallots (golden shallots are now just a distant memory ).In my garden, seed will produce one large shallot. Replanting that will result in multiplying and smaller bulbs. They are larger than the old French Grey, however.
Steve
we grow the french grey shallot, and they are real real good. I prefer them to onions any day.
I divide them up and plant the best ones in the fall. by summer each one has at least tripled some of them having up to 6 or 8 "cloves"
one thing is try not to harvest them early, or youll get small shallots, which still taste great though and will work just as good for planting in the fall.
I divide them up and plant the best ones in the fall. by summer each one has at least tripled some of them having up to 6 or 8 "cloves"
one thing is try not to harvest them early, or youll get small shallots, which still taste great though and will work just as good for planting in the fall.