Smaller and milder than onions - superb pickled, roasted, in casseroles, - and trouble-free to grow into the bargain.

• Choose a variety which stores well.
• Plant out the sets about 6 inches apart, in rows 12 inches apart, mid-February to mid-March. Push them gently into the ground - avoid damaging the basal plate from which the roots will grow.   Firm the soil around them so that only the tip is showing.
  • Birds may think long tops on your sets are straw - great for nest building, but not so good for you to have your sets strewn around the plot.   Cut off the tops about a half inch above the bulb.   Also string some twine along and across your bed.
  • Your sets may arrive too early for you to plant. Open the package and lay out the sets in a cool (but frost-free), well-lit place to prevent them sprouting.
• Keep the shallots weed-free; they are unlikely to need watering.
• The leaves will yellow in July.   Lift the clusters, and separate them.
• Before storing your crop, let the shallots dry for anything up to three weeks.   Check them over carefully and put the healthy ones into old pairs of tights, to hang in a cool well-lit place.   They will keep for about 6 months.

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