[Stevens706]

Hope that it's not too late as I only planted some red onion sets on Sunday as I didn't have enough seed germinate

[A Reyt Tayty]

That's normally how it works
Shallots are not very successful grown from seed and rarely done
Bring them on in pots first to get a strong root system, then plant out when strong enough

I notice that your shallots seem to be more or less sitting on top of the soil. I thought they needed to be buried with just the tips showing. Have I triumphed again?

[sowitgrowit]

The above is just so they can develop roots I think, planted put they would be to the top... I think!

[Carrot Man]

Plant them the same as you would onion sets
Just sit them slightly in the soil

[A Reyt Tayty]

Plant them the same as you would onion sets
Just sit them slightly in the soil

Yeah, but I put onion sets in so that just the top is showing.  :blink:

[DD.]

Don't worry, it's not that critical.

I completely bury, (just), onion sets & shallots. It stops the birds getting at them, and all that faffing with netting.

Others pull soil over them with a draw hoe to bury them, that soil will get wash away with the rain to leave the bulb exposed.

[Carrot Man]

It's simply a case of what suits you
Not everything works for everyone and there is more than one way to skin a cat
I am growing for exhibition, so am more precise about how I do certain things
That said, it doesn't necessarily mean it is the right of best way, just the best way for me

[DD.]

I grow to put food on the plate.

As long as it tastes good and I can grow it without a lot of faffing, I'm happy. If I happen to get a magnificent specimen of something, it's a bonus and nothing more.

[thestens]

related subject storing of shallots either for eating or sets. Last year I separated mine, let them dry off and laid them in a whicker basket in garage( well ventilated) when I went to get any they had all gone to mush. What did I do wrong?

[sunshineband]

Two possibilities

1. They may have frozen in the winter

2. Not dry enough before you put them in the basket. Roots have got to be completely shrivelled and brittle

[JayG]

Every year I try a little bit harder to make sure they are completely dried out before storing in a dry and frost-free place but still lose some. 

The rot usually starts in one of two places -  the neck, which is the hardest part to fully dry out as it contains the green remains of the leaves; twisting and pulling off what's left of the leaves helps, the other is when what looks like a single shallot is actually two "siamesed" together and it's the skin dividing them which doesn't dry, and I haven't found an answer for that one other than to eat them first (if I can identify them before it's too late!  )

[Auntiemogs]

Well, just had a quick furtle around a couple of my shallots.  One was all mooshy so I guess that's a gonner  and the other had 2cm roots and felt quite firm.  Still no sign of any top growth though.  They're in a raised bed in fairly clay soil but I worked in some compost, sand and manure last year.  Oh dear...

[Paul Plots]

I won't say I've never had a shallot set pulled out, but if you trim off any loose wispy bits of dried stem from the tops before planting, and make sure only the very tip sticks out of the ground, the birds haven't got a great deal to go at.

The list of crops which people feel the need to pre-chit or start indoors in modules seems to be getting ever longer, and often it can be justified, but shallots won't be going on my list of something needing that sort of special treatment anytime soon.

I agree with you JayG but if you can't get to the plot and want to get them going it's a sure way of making sure you give them a really good start rather than a late one through lack of time. 

[Trillium]

I start my shallots and onion sets (whenever I decide to grow any) the same way, except my container is smaller but taller. This gets them out of dormancy and rooting. By the time it's planting out time, they're already started and I can discard any that either rotted or haven't started leafing. When I plant them, I do bury them almost to the top of the bulb. Soon enough they'll push themselves back out.

This works for me.

[Paul Plots]

Works for me too...