April Manier
Deeply Rooted
I am planting shallots (French gray ones) on the farm this year. I would love to hear your pitfalls and tips for growing them before I head into this? I live in Eugene, Oregon. 
Tips for growing shallots?
- Thread starter April Manier
- Start date
hoodat
Garden Addicted
Are you planting from seeds or bulbs? I can't give any advice for Oregon but here in San Diego it's as close to a no fail plant as I ever saw. I just plunk bulbs in good ground and ignore them other than a little water now and then.
- Thread starter
- #3
April Manier
Deeply Rooted
From bulbs.hoodat said:
digitS'
Garden Master
Welcome to TEG, April Manier 
!
(Don't we have someone else from Eugene around here . . ?)
Put the bulbs close together or grow something small and short-term in between them - like lettuce. Lettuce may be able to give the weeds some trouble . . . the shallots sure won't.
Like most onions, they will need conscientious weeding. If you were planting seed, it would be best to wait as late as you could and kill as many weed seedlings as you can. Bulbs, at least, won't be ripped from the ground every time you pluck out a tiny chick weed.
Plan on giving them nitrogen-rich fertile ground. They will not make tremendously good use of it but . . . hey, shallots are wonderful and the more you can get of them, the better!!
They will probably be ready for harvest before your sweet onions and you will recognize that time the same way -- the tops will flop over and begin to dry out. Out early, you can use the ground for something else. I planted lettuce and some saved onion sets after my shallots this year . . . (and after those plants were gone, I've transplanted some bok choy to that ground).
Shallots store really well. You can keep them all winter and re-plant what hasn't been used. Just, don't eat all your shallots
. I did that once with one of the varieties that I was growing . . 
.
Steve
!(Don't we have someone else from Eugene around here . . ?)
Put the bulbs close together or grow something small and short-term in between them - like lettuce. Lettuce may be able to give the weeds some trouble . . . the shallots sure won't.
Like most onions, they will need conscientious weeding. If you were planting seed, it would be best to wait as late as you could and kill as many weed seedlings as you can. Bulbs, at least, won't be ripped from the ground every time you pluck out a tiny chick weed.
Plan on giving them nitrogen-rich fertile ground. They will not make tremendously good use of it but . . . hey, shallots are wonderful and the more you can get of them, the better
!!They will probably be ready for harvest before your sweet onions and you will recognize that time the same way -- the tops will flop over and begin to dry out. Out early, you can use the ground for something else. I planted lettuce and some saved onion sets after my shallots this year . . . (and after those plants were gone, I've transplanted some bok choy to that ground).
Shallots store really well. You can keep them all winter and re-plant what hasn't been used. Just, don't eat all your shallots
. I did that once with one of the varieties that I was growing . . .Steve
