Shallots

General tips / questions on seeding & planting

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Westi
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Hi - just a question. When you grow shallots from seed you
only get one bulb, if you were lucky enough to keep some for
next year would they then produce multiple bulbs like normal?

Westi
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peter
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Mine always flower in the second year, but I do get multiple bulbs.
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Johnboy
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Hi Westi and Peter,
I am not sure that they are meant to be replanted the following year as conventional shallots are I suspect it is supposed to be a seeding every year.
Many moons ago when they first came out I grew them and then they disappeared for a few years with different varieties and these acted conventionally. I have not tried the new varieties but I grow Banana Shallots instead. These are definitely best grown from seed each year and maybe they differ from what we know as Shallots.
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peter
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JB those are just what I am growing and I replant a dozen or so to get seed for the following year.
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Johnboy
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Hi Peter,
After my previous posting it occurred to me that collecting seeds was what you were probably doing. I take it that you have no problems with the seed and there is no deterioration of the strain. This is the same as I do with Banana Shallots which have grown some really good results this year.
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peter
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JB, I've not been doing it very long, third year of replanting. Thus far the progeny seem fine, but the '08 seed gave one % termination against ninety-one hundred % for the '09.
Not sure if I looked after it well enough, or, if its a shallot thing.
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Chantal
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They're selling "French Banana Shallots" alongside the regular shallots and onion sets in my local garden centre. They must bunch up, surely, or what would be the point of buying them? :?:
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Johnboy
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Hi Chantal,
The Banana Shallots that I disected about 4 years ago only about one in 7 shallots contained the capability of splitting and those that were planted that actually split all went to seed.
It was from that we all deduced on this forum that they must be grown fresh from seed each year.
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Westi
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Thanks everyone - I will experiment and see what happens
Eat some, save some for planting and keep some for seed,
will let you know the outcome next year.

Westi
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Johnboy
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Hi Westi,
When you are preparing your Shallots for cooking dissect a few. By dissection you can see how many divisions are available for splitting like normal Shallots. If you cut back from the plate, where the roots grow,
immediately above the plate you will see quite clearly what divisions are available however this does not give a final division because in many cases two or even more break away to make a new plant the following year but with the Banana Shallots I dissected virtually none of the possible divisions existed.
The big question is what constitutes a Shallot and what constitutes an Onion? I regret to say I have not got the foggiest idea!
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Chantal
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Johnboy wrote:Hi Chantal,
The Banana Shallots that I disected about 4 years ago only about one in 7 shallots contained the capability of splitting and those that were planted that actually split all went to seed.
It was from that we all deduced on this forum that they must be grown fresh from seed each year.
JB.


So it would appear to be a scam then, selling Banana Shallots as sets?

I well recall the long discussions on here about growing these and grew some from seed myself (although not very successfully :roll: ).
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Johnboy
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Hi Chantal,
In a word 'yes' it is a scam as far as I am concerned.
If I can find somewhere that sells them I will buy some sets and do another experiment.
JB.
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