Shallots are a gourmet member of the onion family and while they can be pricy to buy at the supermarket, growing shallots is actually quite easy. Depending on the type shallot bulbs come in a range of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors, with all adding a rich sweetness to your cooking. Boost your success by learning three ways to plant shallots, the best timing, and how to care for them to ensure healthy plants and lots of delicious bulbs. 

Why you should be growing shallots

Shallots (Allium cepa var. aggregatum) are a cool season vegetable in the onion family grown for their teardrop-shaped or rounded bulbs. They’re beloved for their sweet mild onion flavor and are used in both raw and cooked dishes. Shallots are biennial plants, forming clumps of bulbs the first year and flowering in their second year, but gardeners grow them as annuals and harvest when the bulbs are mature.

There are two main types of shallots: 1) teardrop shaped shallots with golden-brown skins and 2) rounded shallots often called potato or multiplier onions. These may have golden-brown or red skins and flesh. You’ll also find different varieties of shallots available from seed catalogs. More on shallot varieties at the bottom of this article. 

To learn more about the 3 ways to plant shallots and get our growing tips, watch this video:

When to plant shallots

Shallots are planted in spring or autumn, and the timing depends on your region. In mild climates, zone 6 and up, shallots are best planted in autumn, while gardeners in colder regions, zone 5 and colder, plant in early spring. I try to get my spring-planted shallots in the ground about a month before the last frost date. 

As a zone 5 gardener another option is to plant shallot sets in autumn and protect them from extreme weather with straw mulch or a cold frame. Or plant in a greenhouse or polytunnel. Expect shallots to need 90 to 120 days to go from planting to harvest, depending on the type and variety.

The best site for growing shallots

Like other onion family vegetables, shallots grow best when planted in full sun so find a spot with at least 8 hours of direct sunlight each day. The site should have fertile, well-drained soil with a neutral soil pH. Good drainage is essential to preventing bulb rot so plant in raised beds or loamy soil if possible. In clay soils, create mounded ridges, at least 2 to 3 inches tall to improve drainage. I remove any weeds and work in an inch of compost before planting to boost organic matter. 

3 ways to plant shallots

When it comes to growing shallots, you have three planting options: seeds, seedlings, or sets. More on each of these below. 

1. Seeds – Growing shallots from seeds allows you to grow varieties that aren’t available in sets, or likely even as seedlings from your local garden center. In mild climates, seeds are direct sown outdoors in autumn or early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. Sow shallots 1/4 inch deep and a 1/2 inch apart, eventually thinning 4 to 6 inches apart. Seeds can be direct sown in colder climates, but you’ll get bigger bulbs if you start them indoors first.
2. Seedlings – Buy shallot seedlings from garden centres in spring or you start your own. Sow seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last average frost date. I use a grow light to encourage robust seedlings but you can also use a sunny window if you don’t have a grow light. A few weeks before the last excepted spring frost transplant the seedlings into the garden, spacing them 4 to 6 inches apart.
3. Sets – Sets are immature bulbs from the previous growing season and a quick way to jump start a shallot crop. As with seeds, mild climate gardeners plant sets in autumn and cold climate gardeners plant them in early spring. Plant so that the top of the bulb is just below the soil surface and they are 6 inches apart. As the sets grow they’ll form clusters of bulbs.

Don’t overcrowd shallots. If they’re planted too closely they won’t form large clusters of bulbs. 

Growing shallots

Shallots need about an inch of water each week so deep water shallot plants weekly if there has been no rain. Shallots are shallow rooted and need a weed-free garden bed. Dense weeds compete for light, water, and nutrients and impact plant health so use a collinear hoe or scuffle hoe to remove weeds as they pop up. Applying a straw mulch around the plants also helps to suppress weeds and hold soil moisture.

As bulbs size up they’ll need a steady supply of nutrients so in early summer I sidedress the plants with an application of an organic fertilizer. Under hot dry conditions shallots may bolt, which means produce a flower. If you spot flowering stems emerging from the plants snip them off using garden shears to re-focus the plants energy into sizing up the bulbs. 

Issues when growing shallots

Shallots are generally not bothered by many problems, but I’d suggest monitoring for pests like thrips and onion maggot, as well as diseases like white rot. It’s important to practice a 3 to 4 year crop rotation to reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases. 

Tiny thrips suck the sap from shallot leaves creating silvery-white streaks on the foliage. Look closely if you see discoloured leaves and use an insecticidal soap spray to eliminate thrips. Onion maggots tunnel into the bulbs damaging the tissues. The adult flies lay their eggs at the base of the plants, but covering shallot beds with lightweight row covers at planting time prevents egg laying. This is a good solution if onion maggots have been an issue in the past. 

White rot is a fungal disease that, as the name suggests, causes the bulbs to rot. The first symptom is yellowing foliage and as the disease progresses the bulbs blacken and become covered in white mold. Dispose of any infected plants (don’t compost them!) and don’t plant onion family vegetables in that bed again for at least 4 years. 

Harvesting shallots

Harvest shallots planted in autumn in early to mid-summer and those planted in spring in early autumn. You’ll know they’re ready when the tops of the plants fall over and die back. Pull the plants by hand or use a garden fork to carefully lift the mature bulbs from the soil. Using your hands, break the clumps into individual bulbs and remove any lumps of dirt sticking to them. At this point you can replant the smallest bulbs in a new garden bed or cure them all for storage.

You can also harvest the leaves of shallots for green onions during the growing season. Just snip off leaves as needed not taking too many from one plant as over harvesting the leaves can impact the mature bulb size. 

How to cure shallots

Curing shallots allows the bulbs to develop their full flavor and increases their storage life. If the weather is warm and dry, start the curing process by sun curing the bulbs. Leave them on the soil surface for 4 to 7 days. If the weather is damp, move them to a dry place with good ventilation to cure. 

Lay shallot bulbs on top of screens or hang in bunches to cure. I typically cure my shallots, as well as my garlic and onions, in my shed. With good air flow the bulbs will be fully cured in two weeks. At that point, I cut off the dried leaves and store shallots in mesh bags, shallow trays, or harvest racks in a cool dark place. 

Shallot varieties:

• Creme Brûlée (105 days) – This award-winning variety has teardrop-shaped bulbs with reddish-pink skin and flesh. As the name suggests this is a very sweet variety, perfect for caramelizing. It stores well. 
• Conservor (110 days) – This variety has elongated pinkish-gold bulbs and and once cured, can be stored for up to 5 months. Conservor usually produces large single bulbs, not a cluster of bulbs. 
• Matador (100 days) – The blocky bulbs of Matador are 2 to 3 inches tall and produce two bulbs per plant. 
• Gray (100 days) – Also called French Gray shallot, this variety is beloved for its incredible rich flavor. The teardrop-shaped bulbs have golden brown skins and purply flesh. This variety is available as sets, but not seeds. 
• French Red (100 days) – Like Gray, the French Red shallot is a pear-shaped variety with exceptional flavors. The reddish wrapper hides reddish-purple flesh that is sweet and almost spicy. Store the cured bulbs for up to a year. 
• Dutch Red (105 days) – With a taste that hints of onions and garlic, this shallot is very versatile in the kitchen. The rounded bulbs have coppery-red skins and flesh. They have excellent storage life, lasting up to year under ideal conditions. 
• Dutch Yellow (105 days) – This variety is similar to Dutch Red but with golden-brown skins and white flesh. Excellent sweet flavor and long storage life.  

For more information on growing onion family vegetables, be sure to read these articles:

• How far apart to plant onions
• Learn all about curing onions
• 6 perennial onions to grow in your garden
• Hardneck versus softneck garlic