Kitchen Garden Forum

I have eventually tracked down some of these rare seeds for my allotment, but the instructions are in French and for the French climate. Has anyone any experiance in growing these?, if so when should I plant the seeds, (in modules) and when should I plant out. Thanks

Hi Tracie,
Wellie managed to get some seed from, I think, a UK dealer so perhaps if you PM she may have the instructions written in English. Failing that come back to me and somehow if you can get it up on screen or send me a photostat of the instructions I will have a go at interpreting them for you.
We have plenty of time because it is too late to sow this year I fear.

that might be a bit technical for me, only just about manage this forum and internet, will have a go if I can thanks

If all else fails, contact John Rowswell?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story ... e_continue

Yes, as JB quite rightly says, I got some seed from a UK supplier in the West Country, but it was HUGELY expensive (!) and I've got the seed in my fridge (!) until I'm ready to sow it early next year.

There were completely NO sowing or cultural instructions accompanying the seeds, and none forthcoming upon asking for them after receipt, so I'm planning on sowing them in January next year, pretty much as I would my onion seed.

And I really hope that helps, because it's all I've got to offer right now !
If I learn anything more in the meantime, I'll be sure to pass it on.
Wellie

just stumbled across www.bananashallot.com - same guy, his own website - he invites emails, so why not?

It's good these are starting to become more available as I much prefer them to the standard small ones (eg. if you're peeling them to cook with, rather than pickling them).

Unti recently, I bought them in our local Indian shop and tried planting some (grew, but probably in too late). However Tescos now sells bags of something looking identical (I think they're called Eschalion Shallots or somthing similar). The label says they're grown in the UK and it would be interesting to see how they compare with John Rowswell's. I think a bag was around £1.90 and probably contained 7-8.

Hi Sprout !

I did E-Mail them asking for some cultural instructions, and got no reply.
Wellie

Hrrrumph!
Had a search on some other forums, and the concensus seems to be plant like other shallots in January

Hi Colin,
When you grew them did they produce multiples as the normal a Shallot even though you were too late planting?

Johnboy wrote:Hi Colin,
When you grew them did they produce multiples as the normal a Shallot even though you were too late planting?

That's a good question and I won't really know the answer till I've harvested them.

They set off like a rocket and very quickly each bulb produced around 3 separate sets of leaves - I thought things were going well then.

Later, each group developed a very thick skinned tube leaf around 1-2 in wide (may have had a seed head - can't remember, but nothing left now). As at 13th July, the foliage still looks lush & green (whereas my normal-sized longue shallots in the allotment are yellow and keeled over).

However I can't see an obvious sign of multiple bulbs at the base - just multiple leaves coming out of each base.

80% of my french banana shallots have gone to seed and the rest are ready to harvest any day now. The English grower of them seems to grow them from seed as it transpires do the French so I will be saving hopefully plenty of it for next year and grow them that way.

Funnily enough I grow prisma shallots from seed every year and tried to grow them from bulbs that I grew last year. About 60% of those have run to seed but the rest are even bigger than the originals. However as you can easily buy prisma seed I wont do it again but will sow them from seed as usual.

Piglet wrote:80% of my french banana shallots have gone to seed

Does anyone ever water their shallots and do you think it would make a difference to this problem?

So many other veg seem to be prone to bolt if the environment threatens and I wondered if watering was an answer?

I'm glad it's not just me that gets ignored then Wellie - I 've e-mailed John Rowswell and left messages on his ansaphone, all to no avail. I've decided to order some seed from Ryton when they get their new supply.

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. If we can beg, borrow or steal a few seeds and grow a few shop bought ones and plant next year to get our own seed then we are all home and dry.
Oh Tigger aren't they two wonderful young upstanding young men!!! Oh God I never was a crawl-arse!