Kitchen Garden Forum

Johnboy wrote:Hi Tigger,
I feel that with Piglet's and Colin's B. Shallots going to seed there is a Nucleus of seeds that these two lovely, loverrrly people could help us all out with.

Can you talk us through what's needed to do this JB?

Tigger wrote:I'm glad it's not just me that gets ignored - I 've e-mailed John Rowswell and left messages on his ansaphone, all to no avail.

Is this the guy who had an article about him in the Guardian? I expect he hasn't been able to cope with the demand.

When I rang up (several months ago) his mother answered the phone! She was very friendly, but slightly vague. It was obvious that the scale of their operation was not geared up for large volumes of small buyers (I think he's dealt mainly with the catering trade up to now).

I've been following this thread with great interest as I grew some shallots bought at my local greengrocer this year. I have no idea as to variety - they are drying now hung on wires on my shed door. They are mostly deep purple in colour and quite large with one very thick central stem which has remained green although the rest of the foliage has withered nicely. Could they be the banana shallot?

I would love to grow banana shallots next year if a kind member called Colin or one called Piglet would let me have a few seeds. My plot is very small, so I wouldn't need many. Just a bit at asking .

Ok, by now some of you must be starting to harvest your shallots (the ones that didn't go to seed).

These may not strictly be Banana shallots (I think they're Longor) but some of them did quite well. Here's a shot of today's harvest, drying in a very bright hot sun:


Here's another view, next to some Italian long red onions:


There are some bigger views on the website below.

Johnboy wrote:
Oh Tigger aren't they two wonderful young upstanding young men!!!

They are indeed and I particularly hate the 'young' bit!!

Colin - you could be right about the banana shallot man being overwhelmed, but I wish he'd put a notice on his web site or something. Then I'd be kinder to him.

I started this correspondence about shalots at the beginning of the year. As i reported, I managed to buy some banana shallots from our local farm shop and my daughter bought me some from Lidl supermarket. In addition I bought some seeds from Simpsons Seeds.

The sets from the farm shop never sprouted and I wonder if they had been treated with chemicals.

The sets from Lidl grew well and have split into between two and four shallots each. However they are each the size of an onion. They are not yet ready for harvesting, but seem to have been a success.

The seeds from Simpsons did not germinate very well, and those that did are only the size of a spring onoin at the moment. I will not be trying them again!

Best wishes,

Mike T

Hi Mike,
I've got the Banana Shallot Bug and desperately want to grow some next year.
Can I ask when you planted the seed? Under What conditions Propagator or Cold? In modules or not?
I feel like a really nosey sod but all the information you could give us will help.

Those long 'uns look good GG, thanks for the photos

Hi Johnboy,

I planted the sets in individual pots in a cold greenhouse in late January and then planted them out in March. By that time they had a healthy green shoot and a good root system. I sowed the seed directly outside in March, but that has not been a success. If I had found the seed in time, i would probably have sown them in modules in the greenhouse.

Good luck and keep us informed how you get on next year.

Mike T

Hi Mike,
I feel that we must all work in very close consultation although we can grow our own individual
ways. I feel that it was a pity that you didn't get the seed in time because the tradition in this household is to sow Onion seeds on Boxing morning and to put them under a little gradual heat in the propagator. Once they have germinated they can be weaned off heat by lowering the temp every few days until they are at winter ambient temperature.
Onions as a whole are very erratic germinators and percentage wise not very good. I feel that individual
modules is the way I will tackle it as there is then no interference from anything else. If you manage to sow two in a module then one must be culled.
Over the years I have grow quite a few different Onions and Shallots but I have only once grown Shallots from seed and that was not terribly successful so I didn't try again.
I shall be bitterly disappointed if we fail in our quest.

I want to join in too and I bet Piglet, Chantal and Wellie will say the same, and Colin, and Tricia, and......

Has anyone tried the seed from Ryton? They were out of stock by the time I woke up last winter, but I could ask them about an order for this year.

Otherwise, is there any Forum member out there near enough to John Rowswell to call on him?

I shall be staying about 12 miles from Barrington in late September and if it would help I'm sure we could make time to go visit he man - if he agrees. I would phone him from my week-end location.

I'd try to buy some sets if he has any, but failing that seeds with growing instructions even if only verbal!.

Tricia

Whoopee! When are you taking orders?

at £5 for 20 seeds, I think I will be more inclined to spend the money on seeds in France than give it to the greedy farmer.

As a COMPLETE suckling, Piglet, you know that Wellie DID give said farmer her very hard-earned pennies, and even though she asked said farmer VERY nicely, farmer didn't respond to her request for cultural instructions, and do you know what? I happen to think said farmer, if he wants to sell premium-priced stuff, should provide premium back-up cultural advice. And if not, at the very least, refrain from agreeing to be featured in ANY publication, until he can.
It's the magazine's choice to feature whichever grower etc. that they want.
It's our personal choice to take notice of, or whether to purchase from them or not.

I sincerely hope that said farmer can forward me detailed cultural instruction at any time between now and when I'm supposed to sow them.
I'm a patient girl, and the clock has just started ticking...
Wellie