Permapotes

Shallot

Shallot: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Shallots are aromatic vegetables of the genus Allium, in the Amaryllidaceae family, alongside onions, garlic and leeks. They are valued for bulbs whose flavour suits both raw preparations and cooked dishes. The name includes pink shallots of the Allium cepa Aggregatum Group and grey shallots, Allium oschaninii. These categories therefore represent more than two colours of an otherwise completely uniform vegetable.

Bulbs may be rounded or elongated, with dry copper, pink, reddish or grey skins according to type. Inside, the fleshy layers are pale, sometimes tinged with purple. They are thickened leaf bases that accumulate reserves. Shape, size and ease of separation vary between selections. The structure recalls an onion rather than being identical to a garlic head divided into cloves.

Above ground, foliage consists of narrow, hollow green leaves. Types traditionally propagated from bulbs develop several clustered bulbs from the original planting material. This clumping growth contributes to their appeal in a vegetable garden. The number and size of new bulbs are not fixed: they depend on type and growing conditions.

Vegetative propagation from bulbs is common, but some shallot varieties are intended for growing from seed. Saying that every shallot must be planted as a bulb and can never be sown would therefore be inaccurate. When a plant flowers, it can produce a stalk carrying a rounded head of small flowers. Bulb development and flowering are distinct phases, with behaviour varying between selections.

Pink shallots offer a range of shapes and are often valued for storage suitability. Grey shallots are known for their pronounced aroma and generally keep for less time. This does not impose a universal storage duration: variety, maturity and bulb quality matter too. Production is seasonal. Shallots being available on the table for many months does not mean they grow actively throughout the year.

In cooking, raw shallots give a lively note to dressings, salads and sauces. Cooking softens their character and produces a tender texture in meat, fish and vegetable dishes. They can flavour compound butter or a simmered sauce. In a vegetable garden, fine foliage accompanies aromatic bulbs, with flavours and sizes that complement those of onions.

Shallot
Shallot
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
  • Mature height : 30 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Plant Spacing : 10 cm
  • Row Spacing : 30 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Moderate
  • Water Requirements : High
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Division