Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi All

I bought some French shallots from Aldi today 49p for 250g 11 shallots in total, They are about three inch's long, I think they are Bannana shallots but I am not sure.
It is my intention to plant them up in late December or early January in 3 inch pots in a cool greenhouse, What I would like to know is how deep do you plant them please.


Kind regards

Kevin

Kevin,
It may serve you well to back-track on a thread earlier this year to do with Banana Shallot bulbs, and subsequently, seeds of Banana Shallots.
Only because, unless I'm a monkey's uncle, the concensus (and just WHERE is a girls' dictionary all of a sudden when she wants one?!) seemed to verify that maybe planting 'Banana Shallot SETS' only ended in them running to seed. Which is GREAT if you want seed to grow from those sets the following year.
Piglet planted and did that very thing, proving the point, and triumphing out the other side with seed to plant next year.
"One Up For Piglet".... and definitely "One Down" for the "Rip-Off-Merchants", or alleged Charlatons that sell Banana Shallot Seed for a HUGE profit, and without so much as a cultural advice tip to bite you on the bottom with.
Piglet, don't even THINK of responding to that last comment!

I think you're right Wellie, which is why I've bought same Shallots from Aldi (and similar from Lidl) to store until next year, with the intention of starting my own off on Boxing Day, as per JB's instructions. Seed readily available from Ryton or Franchi.

I have some of the seeds from a good French seed company. Buy im not sure when I should start the seeds off. Should I treat them like onion seed and plant on Christmas day ( no chance ) or should I start the seeds off in January.

Many Thanks

Tracie

I'll do a search later and re-post it, but from memory, I think JB has suggested we sow the seed on Boxing Day.

That's my recollection too, and Piglet says the same.

Hi Trigger,Chantal,Tracie and Piglet,
I have traditionally sown all my onions on Boxing Day 'cos I'm generally like a Bear with a sore head after the Christmas Day festivities. The compost is in the modules days before and they only have to be sown and misted. It used to take all morning but now only about 20 minutes.(that is because of the quantity and no other reason)
Of course in real terms they can be sown at any time from now on. Many people have them germinated already but here I feel that this is just a tad early. Its good to sow on a day like Boxing Day because you always know when you have sown them.
I suppose originally that is why I do it but now I cannot remember!
JB.

Dear all,

thanks for all your help. I will let you all know how things progress, it will be interesting to see if they perform like normal shallots, and what all the fuss is about. I will keep in touch

Hi Tracie,
Below are my findings earlier on in the year.
-----------------------------------------------------
Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:13 am

Good morning Colin and Sprout,
Last week I obtained 10 BS and it was my intention to dissect 5 and grow 5 on knowing that this is the wrong end of the year to start anything seriously.
I suspended 5 into shallow water and withing 24 hours they had plumped up and within 48 hours new roots were visible so I planted the 5 in pots on the bench in one of my tunnels.
The other 5 I dissected and the results were less than favourable. Two had no means of division and would have gone straight to seed one had means to divide into 3 and two would have split into 2.
So the most I could have possibly obtained were 7 BS and decided there and then that they were not a viable proposition and that the French must grow them from seed. This has subsequently been confirmed by yourself and Piglet.
I fried those that I had dissected and they were super and pulled up the other 5 and they met the same fate because I realised that I was on a loser!
I feel that the French have managed to perfect the growth of BS and there is absolutely no reason why we cannot get together and be successful.
I mean that the reputation of British growers is at stake!! The thing is are we going to allow the French to supply something that we surely must be able to grow.
I have retired Colin and now only grow for myself and carry out various experiments to further my own knowledge and it could be said that I am now playing
at it. The one thing I love most of all is a challenge. Banana Shallots is next years Challenge!!!
-----------------------------------------------------
I hope this helps with making a decision. My advice is to eat and enjoy what you have bought and grow from seed next year.
JB.

I can now hardly wait for my seeds to be planted and grow on into hopefully shallots.
I have heard that they are fantastic to eat and all the top chefs use them because they are so superior to normal shallots.

Thanks for your postings

Dear all,

I grew some last year from shallots I obtained from Lidl. I started them of in pots in January and planted them out in March. They did split, but only into two or three shallots, which looked more like Red Torpedo onions than shallots. Very tasty, but not very productive.

I also tried some from a local farm shop, but they just rotted in the pots and never sprouted.

I also tried some from seed which I bought from Simpsons. I was a bit late planting them, but I had bad germination and the final shallots were very small.

I have decided to give banana shallots a miss this year and stick to my usual Jermor variety (bought from Marshalls about ten years ago)

But I shall be watching your progress with great interest!

Happy Xmas,

Mike T

I too have been growing Germor for several years, but not as long as Mike T. Since they grow reliably from year to year, they have got to be better value than any unnamed variety from a supermarket, however cheap they seem.
Germor are pretty much the same as what the French chefs prefer - echallote grise, sometimes sold as Cuisse de Poulet (chicken thigh). What "Banana Shallots" are I am not sure - as likely as not a name invented by TV chefs.
My method for growing is simple. Plant closely in seed trays under cover mid to end of January. Then plant out when green tops are about 2-3 inches high, leaving about half the bulb above ground. Losing a few roots does not seem to affect their progress. They should split well and be ready for lifting mid to late June given a good year.

Hi to all, Simpsons keep the seed, listed as "Cuisses de poulet poipou" its £1-50 per packet of 100 seeds,ordered mine today.Was told over the 'phone that it is French seed. Hope this is of some help.

Happy xmas to all, Beeman2

I still have a little home grown banana shallot seed from this year if anybody wants any.

If you hope to get a crop of shallots from bulbs all you will get is a fab crop of seed.

Hi Alan and Mike,
Banana shallots are about four times the size of Jermor. I am unaware of the two french kinds mentioned but I do suggest that we all keep in touch over this. I shall be starting off the seeds kindly supplied by Piglet on Boxing Day morning.
I believe that Jermor are generally sets rather than sown from seed.
JB.