I have never grown biggish shallots.
This year has been the same. My shallots were in the same bed as the onion sets. The onions have grown really well but the shallots are small. It is as if the shallot was planted too deep and the new bulbs did not (or could not) expand beyond the space formed by the original shallot. I get five or six new shallots but they are not large. They just look as if they have been restricted. I have spaced the shallots 5 inches apart and four inches apart but there is no difference in the size. It is the same for the round and long shallots.
So the question is how deep do you plant your shallots? Do you do anything like scrapping away the soil as they grow?
Any tips will be appreciated. I am probably looking for something that is impossible but I feel I want to try.
Bill
Always bury mine deep enough so that the birds don't pull them up. By the time they are harvested they are always sitting proud on top by their own efforts
We don't particularly care over much about the size - its more the flavour we look (taste) for.
I'm not an expert but I am pleased with my shallots this year. They are not huge, but fairly uniform, and up to 8 shallots from the original single bulb.
I planted them in soft soil just deep enough that birds don't see the tips and pull them out (I have never had this happen, though we are always warned against it).
I feel that their only constraints were lack of rain and the weeds that I did not keep on top of - not the soil or depth of planting.
I feel rather lucky that the very tall weeds did not restrict their growth as much as I expected.
I don't know if this helps at all.
Thanks both.
Have eaten a few of this years crop and they taste fine.
I kept them weeded and only put them in the ground so that the top was out of the way of birds. I was thinking of only half covering them in soil and covering with netting or fleece next year.
Bill
Suggest you try Jermor or Longor shallot sets which are the largest and plant them in October to overwinter. Usually get a very good crop of large shallots that way, 6-10 from one original set.
Multiplying shallot don't grow very big anyway..but...while they are in growing stage you could carefully pull few off from the clump to use as fresh and the once left in clump have room to grow. You will end up with fewer but larger bulbs.
When I do my 'thinning' (not rutinely but for to early use) I usually water the clump first so that the roots will slide out without damaging the others and water again afterwards to settle the soil back around the roots.