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How to Grow Shallots: The Complete Guide

shallots
Photo Credit
Joanna Tkaczuk
Botanical Name
Allium spp.
Plant Type
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Hardiness Zone
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Special Features
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant

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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Shallots

Andy Wilcox
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What are shallots? Are they wee little onions? Funny-looking garlic? Neither! Shallots are prized in the kitchen for their mild flavor and smooth texture. Learn how to plant shallots (in late fall or early spring) with our growing guide.

About Shallots

Shallots are members of the Allium genus, just like onions, leeks, and garlic. The bulbs grow in a manner more similar to onions but look closer to garlic, growing in clusters.

Small in size with papery, copper-pink skin, shallots are a staple for your kitchen and a tasty addition to many dishes. Shallots break down and caramelize more easily than onions, producing smoother textures and more velvety sauces.

Learning to grow shallots expands your options from the typical sparse selection in the grocery store, and they’ll keep for months. There are three main varieties of shallots: French gray, Jersey (sometimes called pink), and Echalion. Of course, you’ll also find yellow shallots, banana shallots, and many others. 

How Shallots Grow

A biennial, shallots will make a bulb one year, then flower and seed the next. While most gardeners grow them from sets, similar to onions, they also grow from seed. Shallots grown from sets usually produce between four and 12 new bulbs, while those grown from seed often produce only one. However, many varieties are available that will produce one larger shallot bulb instead of several small ones, which can be easier to use in the kitchen.

Shallots, like onions, are day-length sensitive. They grow best in areas suitable for growing long-day onions, generally in the northern half of the country. Gardeners in the South may find trouble getting them to bulb when grown from sets. Breeders have developed day-neutral shallots, which are worth looking into for gardeners in the country’s southern half.

Read Next

Planting

Shallots like neutral soil, with a pH of 6.0 to 7. Loose beds rich in organic matter and full sun are the recipe for growing shallots. They will grow, albeit a little slower and smaller, in partial sun and prefer slightly moist soil, but not wet. Shallots still need good drainage to prevent root rot. 

Shallots can be grown in containers as well. Choose a larger container at least ten inches deep. You’ll need to closely monitor the soil moisture level—don’t let them dry out. 

When to Plant Shallots

Shallot bulbs can be planted in the late fall or early spring. Only where winters are extreme should a fall planting be avoided. Fall planting works for gardens in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8. If it is any colder, your sets will probably not survive; you will need to plant them in the spring instead. By planting in the spring, you will still get shallots, but they will be smaller and not quite as flavorful as the fall-planted ones. In warm gardens further south, they will not get the day length they need to produce big bulbs unless you can find short day shallots, which will start producing bulbs with only 10 to 12 hours of daylight.

It’s recommended that gardeners in Zones 9 to 11 grow multiplier or potato onions instead. They are very similar to shallots, producing clusters of onions from a single planted clove, and are good for hot climates.

In the early spring, plant sets or sow seeds from 2 to 4 weeks before your average last spring frost date. 

  • If growing from seed, start shallot seeds indoors about 8 to 10 weeks prior to your last frost date so they’re ready to transplant in spring. 

In the fall, plant about the same time as garlic. When to plant varies, but generally, bulbs can be planted week or two after your first fall frost date.

They mature in 100 to 120 days after planting, depending on variety. A late fall planting is ready in early summer. An early spring planting is ready in late summer.

How to Plant Shallots

Planting shallot bulbs is easy and quick. If your soil is soft, they can be poked in instead of digging a trench or hole.

To plant shallot cloves:

  • Work the soil with a garden fork to about 6 inches deep and mix in an inch-thick layer of compost.
     
  • Separate shallot bulbs into individual cloves.
     
  • Plant each clove roots-down and top-up, about 6 inches apart in rows 1 foot apart. The top of the clove should show above the soil if planting in spring. If planting in fall, bury the clove one shallot deep.
     
  • Water and mulch. A light covering of straw mulch will hide the bulbs from birds and squirrels without hindering sprouting. 

Tip: Shallots planted in the fall need a deep mulch covering—about 4 inches worth. Remove some of the mulch after the snow melts to help the sprouts find the light in spring. Over the winter, mulch can pack down. A thick, dense, wet layer can be difficult for new shallots to poke through. Leave just enough for weed control. 

shallots growing in soil
Shallots growing in soil. Credit: S. Pimpo

Growing

Shallots are easy to grow but don’t like to get dry, and they don’t do well with competition from weeds.  

  • Mulching shallots is the key to keeping soil moisture levels even. Check the soil moisture by working your finger 2 to 3 inches deep. The soil should be cool and a little damp. Mulch will also keep the weeds down.
  • Check your rain gauge and provide extra water if needed. Shallots like about an inch of water per week, more in hot or dry weather. 
  • Hand-pull weeds near the base of the plant. Don’t hoe or use a tined cultivator. 

Types

  • ‘Ambition’ is a long-storing traditional French shallot. 
  • ‘Monique’ is a day-neutral shallot, perfect for those not gardening in the north. It produces one larger bulb and stores exceptionally well.
  • ‘Gray Griselle’ is the traditional gray French shallot prized by chefs. 
  • ‘Pikant’ is an early shallot, often ready in as little as 80 days. 
red and yellow shallots
Red and yellow shallots. Try several kinds and see which ones you like best.

Harvesting

  • Shallots are ready to harvest when most of the tops have bent over and started to die back.
     
  • Gently pull shallots from the ground (ideally, using a garden fork) and lay them out in a sunny spot to dry for several days. 
     
  • Brush off excess soil and bring them inside to a dry location to finish drying.
     
  • When ready for storage, the tops should be thoroughly dried and brown. Either braid the tops like garlic or cut the tops off about two inches above the bulb. Store in a cool, dry, dark place (not the fridge) for winter. Use the thick-necked ones first, since they will not store well. 

Be sure to save the biggest and best cloves to replant in the fall. Like garlic, they will adapt to your growing conditions over the years and give you great harvests each summer. One pound of sets should give you 40 to 50 cloves to plant. They are pricey, but as long as you save some to replant, you will never have to buy them again! 

Shallots, Red Sun variety, freshly dug with a garden fork.
Credit: rigsbyphoto
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Wit and Wisdom

  • Like most Alliums, shallots are usually left alone by deer and rabbits, so save your fenced-in garden space for other crops and plant shallots in a bed outside your fence.
  • Shallots with thick necks won’t store as well, so use those first. 
  • Shallots can be forced indoors in a container during the winter to have a crop of onion greens.
  • Shallots are a vital part of a cook’s garden!

Pests/Diseases

Cooking Notes

Shallots can be used in almost any recipe that has onions if you want a sweeter, milder flavor. Be sure to use firm, dry shallot bulbs that are free of sprouts.

  • For starters, try shallots sauteed in butter or olive oil with green beans or other leafy greens (e.g., Swiss chard, collards). Try this Green Bean with Shallots and Bacon recipe.
  • Roasting is our favorite way to enjoy shallots! They become sweet, caramelized, and oh-so-tender.  
Vegetables
About The Author

Andy Wilcox

Andy Wilcox is a flower farmer and master gardener with a passion for soil health, small producers, forestry, and horticulture. Read More from Andy Wilcox
 

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Comments

georgis (not verified)

1 year 2 months ago

After much back-and-forth about fall vs. winter planting, the following appears: "A late fall harvest is ready in early summer. An early spring harvest is ready in late summer." Surely those sentences should have referred to *planting*, not harvest.