Shallot (Allium cepa) – Grow Your Own Bulb Vegetable (12 Plants in 2 x 6-Cell Trays)

Grow your own shallots at home with 12 young shallot plants, supplied in two 6-cell trays with one plant to each cell. Shallots are a rewarding and straightforward crop for beginner and experienced gardeners alike, producing mild, sweet-flavoured bulbs that are ideal for cooking, pickling and everyday kitchen use.

Shallots are prized for their delicate, slightly sweet flavour, milder than onions but richer in complexity, which makes them a favourite ingredient in a wide range of cuisines. Growing your own means you can harvest fresh, homegrown shallots and store them for use well into winter.

The plants arrive young and healthy, ready to plant out into a garden bed, raised bed or large container once the worst of the frosts are over. Choose a sunny, open position with fertile, free-draining soil, as shallots rot in damp ground. Space plants about 15 to 20cm apart in rows 25 to 30cm apart, and keep the tip of each plant just above the soil surface.

Plant into well-prepared, weed-free soil enriched with compost or well-rotted manure, and keep it weeded, as shallots do not compete well with weeds. Water regularly in dry spells and ease off as the bulbs begin to ripen. Feed with a balanced general fertiliser at planting, but avoid too much nitrogen, which gives leaf at the expense of bulbs. Net the plants if birds are likely to pull them out after planting.

Harvest when the leaves have yellowed and fallen over, then lay the bulbs on a rack in a warm, dry place to cure before storing. Once dried, they keep in a cool, dry place for several months. Like all alliums, shallots are harmful to dogs and cats if eaten.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Shallot
• Botanical Name: Allium cepa Aggregatum Group
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: Approx. 30-45cm tall (foliage)
• Growth Habit: Upright and clump-forming, producing several bulbs from each plant
• Perfect For: Vegetable beds, raised beds, kitchen gardens and large containers
• Planting Position: Full sun
• Soil Type: Fertile, well-drained soil; avoid heavy, waterlogged ground
• Hardiness: Not rated hardy by the RHS (H3); plant out once the worst frosts are over
• Maintenance: Keep weeded and water in dry spells
• Seasonal Interest: Summer to autumn harvest
• Type: Grow Your Own bulb vegetable