How to grow shallots

Shallots are a bulb allium in the onion and garlic family, planted from bulb sets that divide underground into a cluster of new bulbs rather than the single bulb an onion produces. Planted in fall or early spring depending on climate, they occupy a bed for months. Gardeners grow them for a milder flavor than storage onions and for a papery skin that, once cured, keeps the crop through winter. Some leaves can be cut for use as green onions during the season without sacrificing the bulb underneath.

The hardest part of growing shallots well is stopping nitrogen at the right time. Utah State University Extension advises against fertilizing after mid-July, since nitrogen applied that late pushes leaf growth instead of letting the bulb finish sizing and its skins dry down. A second-year gardener used to feeding a bed generously through the season will often top-dress shallots on the same schedule as tomatoes, not realizing the crop needs to be cut off earlier. The result is a bulb with soft, underdeveloped skins that will not cure; instead of lasting in storage for months, it softens and sprouts within weeks.