Vegetable Grow Guides
How to Grow Organic Shallots from Cloves
Allium cepa var. aggregatum
About Shallots
Shallots grow from individual cloves like garlic and make a cluster of bulbs. They are not green onions (scallions), and they are not potato onions — those are a different aggregating onion. Plant cloves, not seed, for a reliable crop.
When to Plant
Plant cloves in fall (4–6 weeks before freeze) in Zones 5–8, or in early spring as soon as soil can be worked.
How to Plant
Set cloves point up, 1 inch deep, 6–8 inches apart, rows 12 inches. Mulch. Keep weeded. Water in spring while bulbs size; ease off as tops yellow. How to grow: treat them like small garlic, not like onion seed.
When to Harvest
Lift when tops yellow and fall, usually 90–100 days after spring growth (that is days to maturity, not germination). Cure 2–3 weeks in a dry, airy place. Store cool and dry.