Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Marlborough on November 22, 2015, 17:06:07
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Hi all, has anyone grown banana shallots from seed? How difficult where they to grow, also do they sore well? I thought they would make a change from growing onions from sets.🤗
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I haven't, but I know Deb P does... she will be along sooner or later...
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I too shall be trying the Banana Shallot variety 'Zebrune' after seeing the results achieved by the guy from Allotment Diary.
He says they are harvested late august/early September and are still in good condition the following march.
Technically an onion not a shallot, I intend to sow some in modules in February and an outdoor sowing in march to see which does best. :happy7:
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We were just talking last week that I had wished I had grown some as they are a bit pricey to buy and I prefer them to ordinary onions. So I ordered some seed from the internet. I hope to have a couple of hundred next year. Lets see how well we do.
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I grew these this year (also Zebrune, from DT Brown) and was very pleased with the result (never buying shallot sets again). I followed the advice in the Allotment Diary youtube videos Ed mentioned. The stored ones have kept well and are still looking very good. After harvesting I let them dry off on staging outside and in the greenhouse, them trimmed the tops/roots and removed any loose outer leaves.
I sowed them in 15 cell module trays in mid February, about 5-6 seeds per module. A heated propagator is useful to get them germinating quickly. I used garden soil in the modules, topped with a layer of sand - they grow just as well in the soil as in commercial compost, and the sand helps to reduce weed germination. I planted out whole modules out into 4' wide raised beds in mid March, maybe 7" each way between the clumps. I mulch the beds with a layer of council green waste compost which is quite good for keeping weeds down and makes it easier to remove ones that do come up.
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I agreed with you, Dan who does the allotment diary videos gives some great advice. He is better than a lot of professional TV gardeners.🙂
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I agreed with you, Dan who does the allotment diary videos gives some great advice. He is better than a lot of professional TV gardeners.🙂
Here is the url. There are three consecutive videos showing the growing cycle of these shallots. Thank you for mentioning this. I agree, the videos are excellent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrKAutrZqG8
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Yes Love Dan ! .......and my Zebrune shallot seeds are waiting in the wings ! :blob7: Debbie
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I have found Zebrune work best for me. Sow in modules, treatment as you would for onions. They perform well in good soil, producing surprisingly large shallots, and store very well. Good luck.
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I grow banana shallots from seed every year, they grow as single shallots rather than clumps and I've got them to grow bigger than my hand some years! The best seeds I had were from a seed swap on here which were a true French variety but I didn't manage to get them to set seed to get some more unfortunately.....I now grow the T&M banana shallot seeds which are the same as Zebrune I think, they are reliable and I sow mine in February in a large deep pot,prick them out in deep rootrainers and plant out in late April or early May.
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Sounds like yours are huge!
The closest I've ever got to that was 4cm dia - and only on places where there was at least 10cm of 50:50 soil and compost in top of my heavy soil (London clay).
I definitely think the roots expect an easy time!
They are always first choice in our house because of a) flavour and b) it's quicker to cut the root shield off a pointy onion - with less waste.
Cheers.
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I've grown the variety Figaro (T&M) for the last two years and would recommend. Huge when compared to any I've seen in the shops. Sow individually in pots/modules as others have said. Storage wise, very good.(will be growing same next year)
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Hi every one
I have watched this gardener on YouTube for a few years and planted shallots last year using the same process and got well rewarded.
Good size and taste excellent and also store well.
I have also picked many tips from him as he has a keen eye and experience for growing quality veg
Happy gardening
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Chris175, welcome to the forum, good to have you here.
I had not seen any of his videos before they were mentioned here, so had a bit of catching up to do over the last few days. I do agree. Such good advice. And did you see how the cows tried to eat the tops of his garlics? So funny. And the allotment is not in the balmy South either. We can get a little bit despondent at times about what people can grow in Kent and Hampshire, but these videos from Yorkshire reset all of that. As of course do TeeGees successes.
Which variety of banana shallots did you grow?
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Hi
I grew the same variety Zebrune and luckily my allotment shop stocks them so it was 75p a packet.
I live on the NOrth EAst coast close to NEwcastle and have been lucky with the weather not like our man in the videos where his location looks pretty rough in weather cases so applause to him
Happy gardening
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I've emailed Dan they guy on the videos twice for advice, he replied promptly and was very helpful. I think his videos are great.😊