"French" Shallot Sets.

[snooky]

Looking through the catalogues "French" shallot sets are more expensive than the British/Dutch shallot sets.Is this a fair reflection given that the the catalogues' blurb claims that they are of "superior quality and will give an outstanding crop?"
I have never tried them,happy with the results I get from the Dutch types.

[Johnboy]

Hi Snooky,
I think that it depends on the variety offered. France is really the home of the very best Shallot varieties and really has the very best growing conditions. It doesn't follow that French Shallots will do any better in the UK climate than British or Dutch varieties and the answer to that is probably not as well but you will only find that by a sample sowing.
So the answer to it all is suck a few and see!
JB.

[MrsL]

I've grown the French ones a few times, and found the taste better.

[FelixLeiter]

They're the preferred sort if you're growing for exhibiting.

[Johnboy]

Hi Felix,
I agree with what you have said but you live in Devon and Snooky in Cardiff so not that far apart but what about the colder regions in the UK.
Do they do as well in the colder regions? Well NW Herefordshire is surprisingly cold and they seems to do quite well hereabouts but get into Yorkshire and the Newcastle area and Northern Scotland what then.
It would be very helpful if we could hear from people in the more northern climbes.
JB.

[alan refail]

All the French shallots I grew when I lived in Leeds up to 2000 grew very well.

[Geoff]

We've pickled shallots from seed and first trial after about a month the flavour was disappointing so we are leaving them longer, anybody else got this problem?

[Johnboy]

Hi Geoff,
I trialled some Shallots from seed a couple or so years back and was also growing my usual variety and comparing the two at the time I decided to use those from seed in cooking because they somehow lacked the sharpness I expect for pickling. They were fine in cooking but not outstanding. I have not grown them since.
JB.

[Westi]

I'm going to do a trial of seed v's set this year but my sets
are actually 'french' as my friend brought them back. They
are labelled pink garlic but this doesn't come up as an
actual variety (that could be my translation though).

I'll report back about this time next year!

Westi

[Nature's Babe]

My brother visited last week, he lives in France, I live in East Sussex, he looked at my home grown onions and shallots, and said they were much better than his own at home. I think depth and fertility of soil affects results more than type planted. I have had improved results each year since changing to the no-dig method, regular,composting and mulching raised beds. This method also sequesters 33% more carbon into the soil than digging / tilling does. All my beds that don't have crops in are now covered with mulch or green manure to prevent leaching in the winter rains, nature doesn't leave bare soil. Beds in use now, eg autumn sown broad beans, will crop early next year, then I will cut plants at the base leaving roots in the ground, layer spent plants over the soil and mulch over with straw, squash will ramble over this and crop while the worms and bugs work underneath and digest the decaying vegetation, by the time the squash have cropped nature will have prepared the soil beautifully underneath.

[jethrotattydrill]

I can offer some detail on growing French shallots in Scotland. I have been growing them (all over Scotland) for 25 years with no problems. Consistently producing good crops which have stored better than my Dutch shallots on occcasions.