SHALLOTS - a gardener's notebook
"Banana" shallots - the long narrow ones - are easier to peel, which is a big bonus. However, if you go to buy sets from a garden centre or mail order supplier, they are much more expensive.
It may seem fairly obvious to buy them cheap from the vegetable section in Lidl and plant them. Unfortunately the last time this was tried they had obviously been treated in some way to stop them sprouting, as they wouldn't grow.
It is possible to grow banana shallots from seed, however; Thompson and Morgan stock them and they are available from the Wyevale garden centres at Hamstreet and Willesborough. They are grown just like onions. Of course, you'll only get one bulb per seed this year, but we are going to keep some over for replanting to see how they do.
Shallots were always popular with country gardeners because you can save some of each year's crop to replant the next year, thus saving money. Planting a small shallot will (usually) give you a smaller number of larger shallots - planting a large one will give you lots of tiddlers. Worth knowing!
If you are showing shallots the size is usually specified in the show schedule.
Shallots can be used instead of onions for pickling and give a better, subtler flavour.
It may seem fairly obvious to buy them cheap from the vegetable section in Lidl and plant them. Unfortunately the last time this was tried they had obviously been treated in some way to stop them sprouting, as they wouldn't grow.
It is possible to grow banana shallots from seed, however; Thompson and Morgan stock them and they are available from the Wyevale garden centres at Hamstreet and Willesborough. They are grown just like onions. Of course, you'll only get one bulb per seed this year, but we are going to keep some over for replanting to see how they do.
Shallots were always popular with country gardeners because you can save some of each year's crop to replant the next year, thus saving money. Planting a small shallot will (usually) give you a smaller number of larger shallots - planting a large one will give you lots of tiddlers. Worth knowing!
If you are showing shallots the size is usually specified in the show schedule.
Shallots can be used instead of onions for pickling and give a better, subtler flavour.
