Kitchen Garden Forum

My better half and I have just taken on an allotment - I have wanted one since the early 1980's, when I was offered half of one 'as I was only a woman!'. Anyway, we have sorted out the site, raised beds all round, fruit cage up and filled - I know, I'm so lucky to have a welding engineer for a husband - so what I would like advice on is the best way to plant shallots. Do they get buried, do they have their tops showing, what spacing in a raised bed? Any and all advice will be appreciated.

Just put them in up to their tips (unlike garlic which you plant deeper) and protect them until they root otherwise the birds will pull them out of the ground, just for fun!

...and far enough apart to get your hoe between, unless you want to hand weed. I usually plant 4-6 inches apart.

Alan

Dear Tea-shot, one more thing, if your ground is on the heavy side, don't just push them in the soil or when the roots start growing they have a tendency to push themselves out of the soil again.

Thanks very much for your help I just needed clarity as the advice changes with the books you read.
Old Herbaceous the soil is black, crumbly and very fertile judging by the amount of weeds growing at the moment!

Dear Tea-shot, you should have not told us that, all of us with heavy soil will be coming down with empty sacks pinching that lovely black, crumbly and very fertile soil, you can keep the weeds though.

Hello Tea-shot,

Dont be in a rush to get them in- I know it was 12 degrees last night in the tropic of Yorkshire! but planting mid to late march is soon enough they will still crop well through the summer for an early autumn harvest

BP

Hi BP,
A very timely piece of advice. Over the years I have always found it probably best to be slightly on the late side than too early.
With all you young keen people itching to get going you must remember that it isn't, or shouldn't be, a race to get things going. Certainly if you live in southern climbs it is possible to plant just slightly earlier then the midlands and north but according to the weeks forecasts this coming week will be more in keeping with the Norm. They say that Jan 2007 is the warmest since 1916 which was even warmer. This year we are 2.7 degrees warmer and 1916 was I think 3.4 degrees. I wonder if they spoke of global warming back in 1916?
Just remember February can be the cruelest of months.
JB.