Question: My husband planted some shallot starts in the garden last fall. They sprouted this spring and they seem to be growing pretty well. This is our first time growing shallots, and we both just realized we have no idea how and when to harvest them! Advice would be appreciated.

Answer: Shallots have a mild onion-like flavor that’s a delicious addition to recipes. Though they are fairly expensive at the grocery store where they’re treated as a gourmet vegetable, they’re quite easy to grow in a home garden.

Typically grown from sets purchased from a mail order catalog (or from your favorite local nursery, if they happen to have them), shallots can have pink or brown skin, depending on the variety. The sets are larger than regular onion sets, and they are tapered at both ends, instead of being shaped like a teardrop.

Unlike onions, shallots grow in clumps consisting of several medium-sized “cloves,” rather than forming a single big bulb. The set you plant forms several bulbs around it throughout the growing season.

Sets can be planted in either the spring or the fall here in Pennsylvania. If you plant them in the spring, they’re ready for harvest by late summer. If you plant them in the fall, they’re typically harvested in the late spring. This means that if you plant some sets in the spring and then plant some more in the fall, you’ll have shallots ready for harvest throughout the growing season.

To plant shallots, sink the sets 1 to 2 inches deep, making sure the pointed tip sticks out of the soil’s surface. Space the sets about 8 to 10 inches apart to allow plenty of room for the clove clusters to form.

You may find that the shallot bulbs push themselves up out of the soil and grow on the surface, rather than below the ground. This is normal shallot behavior and there’s no need to bury the plants or mound soil or mulch over the now-exposed bulbs.

If you’d like to cure and store shallots for later use, the bulbs are ready for harvest when the leaves turn yellow and start to die back. Look for the same signs you would look for with onions and garlic. When the plants are 50% yellowed, it’s time to harvest the bulbs.

To harvest shallots for storage, dig up the clump of cloves and crack them apart. Replant the smaller bulbs immediately for a subsequent harvest, and take the larger bulbs indoors to cure.

Curing shallot bulbs is easy, but it’s an essential step to prolong their shelf life. Spread the unwashed bulbs out on a sheet of newspaper in a cool, dry room. Allow the bulbs to rest for about two weeks, turning them over once or twice during that time. The papery skins will toughen. Store your cured shallots in mesh or paper bags in a dark, dry room.

Rather than harvesting all of your shallots at once for curing and storing, you can also harvest them as needed. To do this, gently dig around the edge of a plant and crack off a few bulbs from around the exterior of the plant. Leave the rest of the plant in place to produce more bulbs. There’s no curing required for as-needed harvests; the cloves are ready to use immediately after harvest.

Regardless of whether you make a single big shallot harvest or use them as needed, always be sure to leave some shallot bulbs in the garden. Since the bulbs are fully winter hardy here in Pennsylvania, you’ll always have more shallots on hand.

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