Shallot seeds coming up.

[hoodat]

I planted red shallots last Summer and some went to seed. I didn't know how good the seed was but I planted some a couple of weeks ago and they are up and growing. Has anyone ever planted shallots from seed? This is my first shot at it. I always planted bulbs before. Do the shallots get big enough to use the first year or do you have to replant another year?

 

[April Manier]

So I did quite a bit of shallot research last year!

Our neighbor farms shallots and starts them from seed. They grow in one year and go to market. They do not grow in a clumping fashion as they will iff you replant some of the bulbs you grow. Actually restaurants love them because they do have a lovely uniform shape to work with, however, as a grower they are not in true form--at least the first year.

Congrats! My shallots were accidentally tilled in by my sweetheart!

 

[hoodat]

Thanks for the info. I sort of suspected that. One of the reasons I like shallots is that they can be stored for so long and stay firm. I just toss them, dirt still clinging, into a cardboard box in a back bedroom that stays cool and they last all Winter. I think their easy storage is due to those tight thick skins.

 

[digitS']

Hoodie, I have grown shallots from seed twice and will plant a little more seed this year. And, there have been shallots-from-sets in my garden for about 20 years.

What I haven't done is saved my own seed. I didn't even expect the shallots-from-seed to bloom! I mean, shallots-from-sets had never bloomed before!

Since all these shallots-from-seed varieties are hybrids, to the best of my knowledge -- I wonder if they are even 100% shallots. In other words, maybe they are a cross species hybrid . . . How they forced a shallot to bloom in the 1st place for the purposes of hybridizing, is beyond me.


I have saved the sets of the 2 shallots-from-seed varieties that I've grown. Wasn't even really sure how they would turn out. A few of them bloom but they multiply as sets pretty much as the ones that have been around 20 years do. In fact, I am very pleased with them because of their size.

Shallots aren't very productive plants - they are tiny things with a fairly shallow root system and short season. Still, I love 'em !

It will be interesting to me how well your saved-seed plants do. For me, you are moving into unknown territory! One thing, it won't be so great if they become too inclined to bolt if you ever want to plant sets from them again. I think that the 2nd year sets have about 10% or less that decide to flower rather than multiply below ground.

Given the ease of storage and re-planting sets, they provide an awfully easy way to continue as a shallot grower, year after year.

Steve

 

[hoodat]

Time will tell I guess. I'll let y'all know how they turned out at the end of the season.