The Urban Permaculture Farm Magazine

It’s those gourmet crops such as shallots, herbs, and heirloom tomatoes that really make growing your own vegetable plot such a great idea, and will also make you look like a genius both in the garden and kitchen! What’s so special about growing shallots, you ask? Well just venture over to your local grocer and check out the prices that they are asking for a few small bulbs that look like they’ve been sitting in those cellophane containers for months.

Are Shallots that much Better than Regular Onions?

While you can purchase onions by the pound with just a little loose change, shallots are sold by the ounce and you’ll have to dig into your wallet if you want to carry home this gourmet root vegetable. But don’t take this the wrong way if you’ve never tried shallots yourself; the reason people will pay the price and not think twice about it is because they really are delicious and add great flavor to foods even if you’re not a fancy international chef. There’s no comparison between shallots and onions in my book and I’ll take the shallots any day. French Shallots, also know as grey shallots are recognized as the ultimate “true” shallot by gourmet chefs, but there are other great varieties including: Dutch yellow, red, and the larger sized frog leg and banana shallot varieties.

Dirty Little Secrets about Gourmet Shallots

Here’s a little secret that I’ll share with you; shallots are easy to grow and so productive that it ridiculous for them to be so expensive, and there’s no reason for you not to grow them yourself at home in the backyard garden!Shallots will fit right in even if you have a small garden because they don’t require much space and can even be grown in containers. And once you get started, shallot seed saving is a cinch, so you can grow your own for food and simply save some to replant as seed stock.

Another unusual fact about shallots is that they actually grow better in most areas if you plant your seed during the fall months and allow the plants to go dormant and over winter right out in the garden. This allows the plants to develop a strong root system during the fall, rest over the frigid winter months, and then take off just as soon as spring arrives. Fall planted shallots will grow larger and be ready for harvesting early the following summer. But you can also raise them from a spring planting.

More Reasons to Grow Your Own Garden Fresh Shallots

Shallots are easier to grow than the common cooking onion and aren’t as fussy about the growing conditions. Gourmet chefs prefer shallots for the subtle and delicious flavors that they impart to even the most basic recipes. 

By replanting part of your own harvest you become more self-sufficient and avoid the need to buy new seed for future crops. The bulbs will store over very long periods, provided they are properly cured after harvesting.

Planting is simple and shallots are grown in much the same fashion as garlic. Sow the seed six to eight inches apart with the root scar facing downward and the pointed end facing up. Place at a depth so that the tops of the seeds are just barely below the soil level.

Shallots will grow well in average garden soil and there’s no need for heavy applications of fertilizer. Just keep the bed weeded and watered, and you’ll discover how easily they produce, with none of the day length issues that you encounter when growing onions.