Harvesting shallots

Spill the Beans

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Gardening Information by UC Master Gardeners of Napa County

Harvesting shallots

Author: Jane Callier

Published on: June 10, 2014

Shallots in December 2013

Members of the Field Test Committee of UC Master Gardeners of Napa County planted two varieties of shallots in the fall of 2013. Members of the committee are now harvesting their crops. That's a long time to be in the ground! Shallots don't take up much space, so we haven't really missed the area they are occupying.

Two types of shallots were grown: French red and French gray. The cloves of the French red shallots we planted were much larger than the French gray, and the shallots developed along those lines.

Just out of the ground

Shallots need water withheld about two weeks before harvest to allow a hard skin to form. Start harvesting plants once you notice the top half of the leaves browning; all are ready for harvest when the top 2/3 of leaves brown and bend over. If you harvest too early, the bulbs will be small, but if you wait too long, the outer skin may be lost or split.

When harvesting, gently lift shallots with a spading fork, rather than pulling them out by the leaves. “Cure” them for a couple weeks in a dark, well-ventilated spot until top leaves have completely shriveled. Finally, store them for extended periods in a cool (33-45 degrees), dry (60-75% humidity) location. Despite these common requirements, some of the details about growing them differ.

Be sure to save some cloves for planting in the fall.

UC Master Gardeners of Napa County provide free home gardening advice. Visit, call or complete the Plant Problem Diagnosis Sheet for assistance.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
UC Cooperative Extension
1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa
(707) 253-4143

http://ucanr.edu/sites/ucmgnapa/

Shallot information: www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/.../gr110917.html

Tags: Picture of shallots in December 2013 (1)

Comments: 1

Comments:

by Marcy Nielsen-Berruezo

on August 3, 2014 at 4:51 PM

My French Red shallots were plump and full and lovely. The French grays were numerous, having bulbed out well, but they are very small, not much bigger than a garlic clove. They'll be kind of a pain to trim and cook with; I may just mince them like garlic. I grew my shallots in a raised vegetable bed, but didn't bother to weigh them or otherwise follow protocol since I'm not officially part of the field trial crew. I just like to play along! Marcy