Autumn planting

[Shelle]

Have been reading various previous threads and am getting more and confused

Once I manage to get my hands on some garlic, I will be planting those in October ish in contrast to doing spring planting ones this year.

I had been planning on growing some shallots next year, but have seen in some posts that they should be planted in the autumn following the same principle as garlic. Is that the case? Also I had intended to grow from seed (I think!!), do they follow the same timetable as sets?

I am planting most stuff in containers, and have a small piece of land intended for the garlic. If I need to plant shallots in the autumn, can they be planted alongside the garlic? If not, are they ok in containers?

Yours hopefully not to be too confused for much longer

[Sue]

Shelle
My understanding is that shallot sets go in around February. Shallot seeds, not sure about, but have read that you only get one shallot per seed, if you want the classic shallot cluster then you need the sets.
If you get the right varieties you can do overwintering onions which mature around June although you can pick them before then if previous year's crop has run out.
Sue

[Alice]

Hello Shelle, I grew my garlic and shallots in containers - from sets. November plantings gave me great crops.
I grew some banana shallots from seed but the wastage rate was very high.
You can see some of my shallots and garlic here.

[roitelet]

Hi Shelle,

Shalotts can be planted in the autumn I usually plant mine in November at the same time as I plant the Garlic. The old Gardeners used to plant Shallotts on the shortest day and harvest them on the longest day.

Hope that helps

[Shelle]

Thanks for your answers, looks like I will bow to your experience and look at sets to plant around November time.

Can anyone answer my question about whether can be planted in ground with garlic?

Any recommendations for shallot sets?

[Snadger]

Thanks for your answers, looks like I will bow to your experience and look at sets to plant around November time.

Can anyone answer my question about whether can be planted in ground with garlic?

Any recommendations for shallot sets?

Shallots and garlic are both aliums so can be planted in the same area. I tend to use a 'belt and braces' technique and plant in Autumn and Spring! That way if one lot fails, at least I have the other to fall back on!

You are probably aware of this already but, shallots are planted on the surface while garlic is planted a couple of inches underground!

As far as varieties go I found this list on the web:-

Atlantic can be sown early and produces heavy yields of moderate to large bulbs which are crisp, tasty, and stores well.
Creation is a seed-grown variety which is delicious, highly resistant to bolting (flowers early), and stores well.
Drittler White Nest is an old variety that produces tasty bulbs of variable sizes.
Giant Yellow Improved has yellow brown skins and are consistently large and high-yielding.
Golden Gourmet is a mild-tasting shallot used in casseroles and salads. It is reliable and high-yielding, stores well, and produces good edible shoots.
Grise de Bagnolet is a gray shallot that is not so widely available as the brown or red ones, but are prepared in the same way. It is highly regarded by the French and used in a variety of ways, lifting the ordinary to new heights.
Hative de Niort is an extremely attractive variety with elongated pear-shaped bulbs with dark brown skins and white flesh.
Pikant is prolific and resistant to bolting. Its skin is dark reddish-brown and the flesh is strong and the texture firm.
Red Potato Onion is extremely hardy, having bronze-red skin and pink flesh. It is also a good keeper.
Sante is a large and round with brown skin and pinkish-white, very flavourful flesh. The yields are high and it stores well, but it does have a tendency to bolt and should be planted from mid to late spring when conditions improve.
Topper is a mild-tasting, vigorous, golden-yellow variety that is planted from late winter on. It stores well.

I usually just grow my own sets which I keep a few of each year but they originated from some I bought from a garden centre simply sold as 'shallots'

I have had good reports from others of Hative De Niort though!

[Shelle]

Thanks for that really useful reply. My confusion is getting less and less thanks to you and others on this forum