[Wellington]

I like shallots, they are a perfect one person portion accompaniment for just me, as my daughter doesn’t like onions, so I I fry them up to go with steak and sausages and the like. I have some especially nice pinkish ones from Waitrose at the moment.

Is there any reason I shouldn’t just plant a couple out and get seed from them?  Or a whole bag and get a crop?  I haven’t found any similar varieties as sets yet.

[DD.]

Supermarket shallots could well have been treated with a growth inhibitor.

[Ema]

I’ve used supermarket organic or Isle of Wight garlic before and had good crops.
I would look for a shallot variety which is grown locally/France.

[mumofstig]

Most supermarket shallots are actually small onions (especially the banana shaped ones) so, even if not coated with a growth inhibitor, they won't grow into a clump of bulbs like proper shallots would, the single bulb will just grow a bit bigger

[Wellington]

Fifty fifty, then. I’ll give some a go. They claim to be Echalion shallots grown Bedfordshire, so we shall see. I might stick some in pots in the garden and see what happens. The worst I will end up with is nothing.

[DD.]

Echalion shallots will not split. They are otherwise know as a "banana" shallot and are grown from seed. As this is their second year they will flower and go to seed.

[jambop]

Echalion shallots will not split. They are otherwise know as a "banana" shallot and are grown from seed. As this is their second year they will flower and go to seed.

And not recognised in France as a shallot! The French hate these things and farmers have been in dispute with the producers of them over them being called shallots they are in fact more "like an onion". You will notice I have not got involved in the argument ... but I agree with them

[Wellington]

Echalion shallots will not split. They are otherwise know as a "banana" shallot and are grown from seed. As this is their second year they will flower and go to seed.

Excellent, seeds for 2021!  Point taken about this years crop though. I don’t have an opinion on what they are called, I just like the handy portion size and keeping quality!