I was going to include shallots in my post about onions but I felt that the post was becoming rather long and I know long posts can turn some people off so I thought I'd separate them. (Incidentally I would be interested to hear your views on post length - can posts be too, long, too short, too wordy? Sorry I digress let's get back to shallots!)
Last year we grew five varieties as detailed in the chart below;
As for the onions the cropping comparison may be unfair as we have no record of how many sets we planted. We grew Red Sun and Golden Gourmet last year. They generally seem to do well and they are the two varieties that we will grow this year.
As for the onions the bulbs finished their growing and were harvested about a month early but unlike the onions this didn't seem to affect the size of the bulbs produced although there may have been fewer bulbs in the clusters.
As for the onions the shallot are started in modules and then transplanted, as with the onions it is important that the root system doesn't become pot bound as this can produce a check in growth from which they don't fully recover.
We tried growing the banana type varieties in the past but they weren't really successful. Has anyone had good results from these and if so which varieties did you grow?
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I have grown shallots a couple of times. I had a variety called "Jermor" - described as "Half-long". They were pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI'm growing shallots this year for the first time in about 20 years. I tended to not plant them as they never yielded well like onions do and you had to save part of the harvest to replant. And the small bulbs were fiddly in the kitchen. But now that they have some good seed and you get bigger bulb, I'm trying them. I just hope they do well here. As for post length. I like moderate length posts (maybe 2-3 pages long). Really short ones that don't say much. Really long ones challenge my attention span. I often read blogs between doing other things. And I want a short distraction, not a 30 minute break.
ReplyDeleteIGood luck with your shallots, Daphne, I'm not sure how long 2-3 pages is.
DeleteAs you know, I'm not growing shallots this year but I shall miss seeing them growing on the plot, I think they're reather attractive with all their top growth.
ReplyDeleteWe still have some shallots to use, Jo . They always seem easier than onions for us,
DeleteI have not had much luck with shallots. I might try again this year. I would like to grow them as onions are very cheap but somehow shallots are very expensive here.
ReplyDeleteAs far as post length is concerned, I agree with you. I believe that when they are too long people just scan them.
As I replied to, Jo for some reason shallots seem to be less fussy for us Alain.
DeleteI have as much luck with shallots as I do with onions, I gave them up a while ago! How many shallots do you generally get per bulb??? I must say I am rather greeneyed re your success with these....sighs...
ReplyDeleteRe post lengths, I don't have a preference, I would hate to think someone was restricted by their readers. If a post is long and I don't have the time to read it, I leave until I do. I just enjoy each post as it comes from each blogger.xxx
We get anything between 3 and 6 with 4 or more often 5 being the norm, Dina
DeleteI grew shallots once, a long time ago and was delighted with them. I can't remember what they were though, so I am of little help.
ReplyDeleteAs to the length of posts, I don't have a preference. If it grabs my attention, it doesn't bother me how long it is and if I don't have enough time to read it I will come back to it when I do.
I think my blogs are on the longer side, then I enjoy writing as I like to tell a story, but the one I put up tonight is just three short paragraphs and one image. I write for me, because I enjoy it, and it is just a bonus if other people want to read my ramblings and leave comments.
~~~Deb
I maybe think it is huge solid chunks of text that may be off putting, Deb. White space and photos make all the difference as does the subject matter of course. I don;y find that yiur posts are over long.
DeleteI can never resist saying That's Shallot whenever that particular allium is mentioned!
ReplyDeleteIve never grown them but would like to one day. Maybe next year. But like Daphne, I find them a bit fiddly when cooking.
They are fiddly to peel, Lou. I found these tops on the web
DeleteSoak the shallots in boiling water. - Soak for 2-3 minutes, or until the outer skins are softening. Stop the shallots from cooking by running them under cold water. Cut off the top and root ends.
I just soak in cold water and find that it helps.
We had success with the Jermor last year and have planted them again this year. They were really tasty!
ReplyDeleteAnother vote of confidence for Jermor, thank you L
ReplyDeleteSnap Sue - I will also be growing 'Red Sun' and 'Golden Gourmet' this year :) I grew a banana variety called 'Longor' last year which did reasonably well. Useful to read your tip about soaking shallots before use. As far as the length of blog posts I don't think that there can be too short e.g. 'Wordless Wednesday' posts can speak volumes but my ageing eyes can't always cope with long posts.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope that they perform well for both of us. Anna
DeleteLast year, I grew a tall, tasty, pinked skinned (and pinkish fleshed) shallot from seed (can't remember variety). Very easy to grow, didn't need starting off before beginning of March (in modules) and easier to handle in the kitchen due to larger size and easier to peel skin.
ReplyDeleteSounds perfect SandD
DeletePersonally, I don't mind how long or short is a blog post . A single thoughtfully crafted sentence can say a great deal, whilst screens full of paragraphs can sometimes say not very much at all worth reading. What encourages me to read the blogs, whatever the length, is the enthusiasm with which they are written. It is this that makes me follow posts on all sorts of crafts and activities, many of which I will never try for myself. Your interest in growing comes through strongly in your posts and responses (thank you for all of those), so I'll read it all whatever the actual number of words or pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that SandD I agree that the tone of the post and the fact that it reflects the persons personality draws me in too. I enjoy taking photos hence Wordless Wednesday,
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