Growing Shallot

Allium cepa var. aggregatum French shallot, eschalot, small onion
Other names
French shallot, eschalot, small onion
Botanical name
Allium cepa var. aggregatum
Family / Genus
Amaryllidaceae / Allium
Plant category
Leek vegetables
ShallotSophonnawit Inkaew/Shutterstock.com

The shallot is the small, refined sister of the onion. Less pungent and more delicate in flavour.

Facts and figures

Light requirements
Sun / partial shade
Nutrient requirements
Light feeder
Difficulty level
Easy
Culture (according to Gertrud Franck)
B - early, B - late
Culture (according to Sister C. Weinrich)
Companion crop
Growing period
120 - 300 days
Row spacing
25 cm
Plant spacing
15 cm
Sowing depth
5 cm
Germination type
Light and dark

Planting & harvest times of Shallot

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Transplant
Harvest
Harvest (next year)

SpringTransplant to bed from Late February to Late March. After a growing period of 120 days, harvest can begin around Early July and continues until Late July.

AutumnTransplant to bed from Early September to Mid November. After a growing period of 300 days, harvest can begin around Early July and continues until Late July next year.

Plant Shallot

Shallots are mainly propagated using sets, as they rarely flower in our climate and therefore don't produce seeds.
The sowing depth given refers to the depth at which you plant the sets. The tip should just be visible above the soil.

Good and bad companions of Shallot

Shallots go well with carrots, beetroot, lettuce, parsnips and dill, and they belong among the strawberries. Keep them away from beans and peas, as they often stay small next to those. Don't put other members of the onion family right beside them, because they attract the same pests.

Very good neighbours
Beetroot
Good neighbours
Batavia lettuce
Butterhead lettuce
Carrot
Courgette
Cucumber
Dill
Iceberg lettuce
Lamb's lettuce
Lollo biando / Lollo rosso
Marjoram
Oak leaf lettuce
Parsley
Parsnip
Romaine lettuce
Strawberry
Swiss chard
Tomato
Turnip
Bad neighbours
Broad bean
Bush bean
Chives
Garlic
Garlic chives
Leek
Onion
Pea
Pole bean
Potato
Runner bean
Spring onion
Tree onion

Predecessors and successors of Shallot

Shallots are light feeders and need no fertiliser. Don't plant them straight after legumes or brassicas, or there will be too much nitrogen in the soil and they'll store badly. A weed-free bed is ideal, for example after tomatoes, May turnips or a green manure that dies off over winter. After other alliums, leave a four-year gap.

Good predecessors
Buckwheat
Courgette
Cucumber
Honeydew melon
Melothria
Phacelia
Potato
Squash
Tomato
Turnip
Watermelon
Bad predecessors
Beetroot
Broad bean
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Bush bean
Cauliflower
Cavolo nero
Chickpea
Chives
Flower Sprouts
Garlic
Garlic chives
Kale
Leek
Lentils
Onion
Pea
Pointed cabbage
Pole bean
Red cabbage
Romanesco
Runner bean
Savoy cabbage
Shallot
Soya bean
Spring onion
Tree onion
White cabbage
Good successors
Batavia lettuce
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Butterhead lettuce
Cauliflower
Flower Sprouts
Iceberg lettuce
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lollo biando / Lollo rosso
Oak leaf lettuce
Red cabbage
Romaine lettuce
White cabbage
Bad successors
Beetroot
Bush bean
Chives
Garlic
Garlic chives
Leek
Onion
Pea
Pole bean
Runner bean
Shallot
Spring onion
Tree onion

Diseases and pests

Shallots are tougher than onions, but they can catch the same diseases: downy mildew, onion smut, onion fly and leek miner fly. Healthy sets, an airy spot and a wide crop rotation keep trouble away. A fine insect net keeps the flies off.

Susceptible to
Allium leaf miner
Leek moth
Leek rust
Leek yellow stripe
Onion basal rot(low susceptibility)
Onion downy mildew
Onion fly
Onion thrips
Onion yellow dwarf
Purple blotch
Stem nematode
White rot
White tip

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