Your comments and tips

19 Jun 18, kate (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Mike, I noticed that too. Some states call spring onions shallots, even though they're two different things. Can be very confusing. Maybe try French shallots or Golden shallots? Not sure what they call actual shallots.

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20 Jun 18, Mike L (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Type into google "shallot bulbs" go to the " Images of shallot bulbs". Look through the different photos. The photos where there a bunch of bulbs stuck together are what I believe are shallots. They are the kind I have been growing for 37 years and my mother for probably 25 years before that. A lot of the photos they look like they are single plant bulb. Yes there is a difference for eshallots, shallots, spring onions, French shallots. Hope you work out when is the best time to plant. I live Bundy Qld and I can grow shallots all year.

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14 Oct 19, manfred (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Mike - I have just moved into the area (near Howard) and have a few shallots growing. I am able to dedicate a small raised bed to them and am wondering if I can just leave them growing and harvest as I want to use them, as long as I occasionally lift and replant.

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03 Aug 18, Stacey (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Mike, I also live in Bundy, I am about to plant some shallot sets that I purchased from the nursery. Some of the sets have a couple of bulbs joined toghether at the root base, like a bulb of garlic has individual cloves within the whole bulb. Do I separate these to only plant one little bulb, or do I leave them joined together and plant as is? Thanks for your time, Stacey

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08 Aug 17, Peter (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi thank you for you advice very informative for us beginners . My wife and I are now retirees and are getting into the veggies and live it we are growing onions of all types for the first time shallots with no bulb having great results so we have planted bought from retailer golden shallots it has 3 thick stems coming from base massive leaves do they fall over like normal onions when they are due to be harvested ? as we don't know when they are ready thank you again peter Oran Park nsw

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10 Aug 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I don't grow onions because they take so long to grow. We can buy onion in the shops for $1-1.50 a kg. The reason I grow shallots (a lot of people mix up shallots with spring onions and even eshallots) is because they are so easy and quick to grow and you keep bulbs from one year for the next year to plant. I planted some on Monday and they are shooting out of the ground today - Thursday - will be eating them in about 5 weeks time. Happy gardening - great rewards from eating what you grow.

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31 Jul 17, Michelle (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I planted a number of shooting French Shallot bulbs earlier this year. I now have rows of beautiful plants. Today after checking if any bulbs were below the soil I have discovered that there are no bulbs only lots of plants that look like shallots or green onions. Could you please give me some advice on what may have happened. Also are the stems of the planrs able to be eaten like green onions? Thank you so much.

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01 Aug 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have looked up French shallots and they look a bit different to mine. My shallots are a cluster (when mature) of 6-12 segments, lightly attached together. As I pointed out below, if I grow them into the winter (planted Feb March April) they take a bit longer to form bulbs - they stay like a spring onion for longer - straight with no bulb. Left long enough they will bulb up. If I plant say now (August), when they mature in the hotter weather in Oct/Nov they go to bulb very quickly. I don't eat much of the green top but some do eat it. My suggestion is give them time to bulb. I eat them before they really bulb up - we eat them in salads, sandwiches or straight as they are raw.

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11 Jul 17, King J (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

"Peter Cundall's year-round planting and sowing guide for vegetables" ("suitable for Tasmanian and cool-climate conditions") on the ABC radio website says to sow shallots in May and plant them during June to August. I'm not sure what the distinction is supposed to be between sowing and planting shallots.

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14 Jul 17, John (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

'Sowing' refers to seeds and 'planting' refers to bulbs or sets

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