[JohnB47]

Hi.

I bought some Golden Gourmet shallots and it looks like a couple of them have two bulbs inside the same outer skin. Should I just plant them as they are, or try splitting them (like you would with garlic)?

Cheers.

[goodegg]

i would split them and plant them individually

[Aidy]

I dont, I just plant the bulb. Take your pick.

[JayG]

I had a problem last year with "double" shallot bulbs which were hard to dry out properly so didn't keep well.

Yours are bought ones so are presumably in good condition; I don't think it matters whether you split them or not although the split bulbs may possibly be a bit more vulnerable until they get going.

[Nobbie]

I'd split them, but be carefull how you do it as you need some of the hard base on each bit to form roots and if you just pull them apart then you can leave it all on one of the shallots. I'd use a short sturdy knife to cut through the base.

If you leave them then you probably get smaller shallots as they'll get more crowded as the two bits both try to devide.

[JohnB47]

Thanks everyone.

I'll have a good look at them before I decide whether to split or not. I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers.

[plum crumble]

funnily enough most of my shallot crop last year turned out to be "doubled". I have had no problem storing them at all - and am on my last net of them - the onions finished last month. I would split yours before planting, as explained by t'others!

[Trikidiki]

I bought some Red Sun shallots last year which I planted quite late. They didn't produce many bulbs but they were very large. I didn't really notice they were 'cloven' like a garlic when I harvested them. I was not planning to eat them but producing more 'seed' shallots for this year, I had plenty of other varieties to eat.

When I planted them two days ago I noticed how each shallot was made up of several 'cloves'. I did think about splitting them but decided against it.

I think I'll leave them planted but may have a furkle under the soil and mark those which are 'cloven' and report back if there is any sgnificant difference in the harvest later in the year.

[Snoop]

Hi,

Rather than start a new thread, I'm reviving this old one as it covers splitting sets at planting time and though there is one reply about splitting shallots at harvest time.

I'm interested in the harvesting aspect. Lots of the Prisma shallot seeds I planted have produced double shallots. Some of these split into two when I lifted them, but in some cases the roots were not properly divided, so there are a few that have a 'bare bottom'. So far, I've left the others but am a bit worried that they might rot in storage.

Does anyone have any views or experience about what to do about storing double shallots?

[JayG]

In my experience double-bulbed shallots are more likely to rot in storage as each bulb still has its own skin which makes them harder to dry off properly.

Whether that applies to somewhere as hot as Spain I don't know....................

[Snoop]

Thanks JayG. It is unseasonably damp in this part of Spain at the moment, so I'll split them as per your advice. In fact, we've had so much rain recently that my cabbages and toms are splitting, and some kind of unheard-of fungal disease is attacking tomato plants. Don't think it's blight in my case and can't use copper-sulphate either now that we're harvesting... At least I'll be able to stop the shallots from rotting.