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(Best months for planting Shallots in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

• Easy to grow.
• Harvest in 85-105 days
• Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
• Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 30°C.
• Space plants: 2-3cm

Shallots are grown from small bulbs kept from the main plant. Once they are established, you can keep your supply going indefinitely by saving a few bulblets each year.

A type of small mild multiplying onion, popular in French cooking.

Tree onions or 'walking onions' produce bulbs at the top of the stem.

Shallots are not spring onions.

They are more like garlic in their growth as they form a clump of bulbs at the base of the stem.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Shallots

Use in any recipe instead of onions
Can be cooked whole, braised gently with other vegetables.
Sometimes pickled.

Your comments and tips

03 Aug 09 Don Perham (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Some of the shallots I have bought seem to have been treated with something that prevents them from sprouting, can this be countered in any way

27 Jun 10 (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

no its ac hemical sprayed on imports from china etc. your best bet is to buy nz grown shallots :)

03 Nov 10 david broughton (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

shallots were planted (bulbs) in June. In Christchurch Some have gone to seed-should I cut seeds off? When do I harvest shallots planted in June. Thanks

19 Jun 11 Glenys - Tauranga (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Question - When you buy shallots to plant they are in a single bulb - do you break them up like garlic to plant them please.

21 Jun 11 Billie Knight (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Should I harvest my shallots before seed stems grow on them When is the best month to plant in the Auckland area and how many months before they are ready for harvesting

04 Oct 11 Lynne Hannan (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

My shallots are starting to get seedheads. Should I break these off or let them flower? They haven't got bulbs yet.

11 Nov 11 sally (New Zealand - temperate climate)

how do you tell when shallots are ready to use

08 Jan 12 Sherrill (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Sally, I plant my shallots in September, and I am going to lift them next week.The tops fall over like onions do and they sit on top of the ground. I live in Nth Canterbury. Hope this helps.

23 Jan 12 Jane (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Glenys, I planted some for the first time last year. Broke them up and planted them like garlic (at about the same time of year too). They did fine, each "clove" sprouted about four or five bulbs.