Takes a hard frost. Plant out 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost; plant in fall up to 2 weeks after your first fall frost. First harvest 90 to 120 days from planting.
Photo: “Shallots-Whole” by Evan-Amos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
Full sun6–8 hours or more
3–6 in apartRows 12–24 in
90–120 daysFrom planting out
pH 5.5–7.5Soil pH
1 in a weekEven watering
HardyTakes a hard frost
Your dates
Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest shallots where you live, from your own frost dates.
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From seed to harvest
PlantSet in the groundWeek 0
SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–3
Leaf growthLeaves fill outWeek 3–6
Bulb swellsBulbs fattenWeek 8–12
Tops fallLeaves flop and yellowWeek 11–15
HarvestReady to pickWeek 12–17
How to plant and grow
Start with firm bulbs
Plant firm, healthy shallot bulbs from a garden supplier. Split each cluster into single bulbs just before planting.
Plant in early spring
Set bulbs out as soon as the soil can be worked. Roots and leaves need cool weeks to grow before longer days start the bulbs.
Or plant in fall
Bulbs set out after the first fall frost overwinter and give an early summer crop. Mulch them; very cold winters can cut the yield.
Set the bulbs
Plant pointed tip up, 1 to 2 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart, in rows 12 to 24 inches apart. Wider spacing gives bigger clusters.
Water and weed
Keep soil evenly moist, about 1 inch of water a week, and pull weeds early. Let the soil dry out as the bulbs near full size.
Harvest and cure
Lift clusters once most tops have yellowed and fallen. Cure in a dry, shaded, airy spot for 1 to 4 weeks until the skins are papery.
Common problems
Onion thripsPest
What you'll see: Silvery streaks and blotches on leaves, with tiny black specks. The tiny, slender insects hide deep in the neck.
Prevent
Control weeds and remove onion culls and debris.
Overhead watering or heavy rain knocks numbers down.
Organic options
Insecticidal soap or spinosad, aimed down into the neck. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Several insecticides are labeled; check the crop is listed. Thrips grow resistant when one product is used over and over.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
What you'll see: Yellow patches on top of leaves, often boxed in by the veins, with gray to purple fuzz underneath; on shallots, whitish-gray growth on older leaves. Leaves brown and die, worst in cool, wet weather.
Prevent
Grow resistant varieties; basil sold as downy mildew resistant holds up far better.
Space plants, trellis vines and water at the base so leaves dry fast.
Remove and destroy infected plants promptly.
Organic options
Copper protects cucumber and melon leaves best when used before the disease arrives. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Chlorothalonil or mancozeb on vine crops, if labeled. On basil, home-garden sprays work poorly; grow resistant varieties.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
What you'll see: Soft brown rot covered in fuzzy gray mold on fruit, flowers or leaves, or small sunken brown or gray spots near the base of shallot bulbs. It is worst in cool, wet weather.
Prevent
Mulch strawberries with straw so fruit does not touch damp soil.
Space plants for air flow and water at the base in the morning.
Go easy on nitrogen in spring.
Pick ripe fruit often and remove rotting fruit and dead flowers.
Organic options
Remove moldy fruit and plant parts. Organic sprays have little proof of working, so rely on the steps above.
Conventional options
Same as organic. In home gardens the steps above work best; fungicides are mainly for commercial growers.
Photo: “Aphids on Kale leaf” by Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
AphidsPest
What you'll see: Clusters of small, soft-bodied green, black or gray insects on new shoots and under leaves. Leaves curl, and a sticky film may coat them.
Prevent
Check leaf undersides each week; a few aphids do little harm.
Pull nearby weeds, such as wild mustards, that feed aphids.
Grow flowers for lady beetles, lacewings and hover flies, and avoid broad sprays that kill them.
Organic options
Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Neem oil, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide).
Conventional options
Malathion or permethrin, if the crop is on the label. These also kill the insects that eat aphids.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.
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Plant
Sprout
Leaf growth
Bulb swells
Tops fall
Harvest
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