Shallots - foliage good but...

I planted out some Golden Gourmet and Red Sun shallot sets in mid-April. It's the first time I've grown shallots from sets and I've never grown these varieties before.

The new bulbs are all above ground and seem surprisingly large for shallots (ping-pong ball). Maybe this is normal for these types of shallots, but they're certainly much larger than ones I've grown from seed or bought in the shops. A few of the central bulbs are also being forced out of the cluster and are loose and have no roots to speak of (just a few straggly bits a couple of millimetres long or so). I have picked these loose ones.

The foliage is still upright and a decent green. There are a few weeds in among them, but they're not totally overgrown.

From the foliage, I'd guess they're not ready for picking, but from the size of the bulbs and the fact that some of them are loose and have no roots, they seem ready.

Any advice?

Don't suppose that having plenty of dry weather for drying shallots for storage is a problem where you are, but I still think it's worth letting the leaves die back a bit before harvesting - the less juice left in the stems the better, especially in the neck area where rot can start even before they've finished drying.

Yes, some of the bulbs do get lifted out of the ground - their leaves will die back quicker than the others.

Golden Gourmet are my reliable 'banker' shallot and can get quite large - some of the pink/red ones have sometimes been a bit less reliable (can't remember whether Red Sun was one of them though.)

Don't suppose that having plenty of dry weather for drying shallots for storage is a problem where you are, but I still think it's worth letting the leaves die back a bit before harvesting - the less juice left in the stems the better, especially in the neck area where rot can start even before they've finished drying.

Yes, some of the bulbs do get lifted out of the ground - their leaves will die back quicker than the others.

Golden Gourmet are my reliable 'banker' shallot and can get quite large - some of the pink/red ones have sometimes been a bit less reliable (can't remember whether Red Sun was one of them though.)

Actually, dry weather is a problem at the moment! Afternoon thunderstorms every day and occasional morning drizzle for the last few days and till around Tuesday next week.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. I somehow expected them to take longer, till maybe late July or August.

I'll go and have a jiggle and see how they respond.

If I leave them too long, I presume they'll bolt. I have very little experience of growing from sets.

Thanks, JG. I gave a few a good jiggle and even the odd tug and they're firmly rooted in the ground. Removed another central one that have come free and left the rest there. Fingers crossed!