Shallot

If you plant autumn shallots (September/October), they overwinter in the bed. Good drainage matters more than frost protection, because waterlogging harms the bulbs in winter more than cold does. In severe, lasting frost, cover the bed loosely with leaves or straw and remove the protection again in spring; spring plantings (March/April) are not overwintered, but harvested in summer and stored cool, dry and airy.

The easiest and most reliable way to propagate shallots is by daughter bulbs (sets); this is the trait they are named for. In July, carefully lift the ripe bulb clumps from the ground once the foliage turns yellow and wilts and the bulbs can be separated. Leave the clumps to dry further in an airy, shady place for a few days before you take them apart. For planting next year, choose healthy, medium-sized daughter bulbs about 2 to 3 cm in diameter; ones that are too small crop poorly, and ones that are too large tend to bolt. From February/March to April, push them into loose, humus-rich soil so that the top of the bulb is about level with the ground (around 2 to 3 cm deep), root end down, with 15 to 25 cm between rows and 10 to 20 cm within the row. In mild areas you can also plant from October (winter shallots, with a little leaf protection), which are then ready to harvest earlier. One set produces about 5 to 8 new bulbs. Tip: storing your own sets dry and cool improves resistance to bolting. In the Central European climate shallots usually do not flower, which is why the daughter bulb method is the normal one. For propagation by sowing, choose only open-pollinated varieties (no F1 hybrids, whose offspring do not come true). Sow in seed trays from February to March and plant the young plants out after the last frosts. This method is more laborious and the harvest in the first year is smaller, but it is suitable for preserving rare old varieties or when no sets are available.