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Red Shallots are a mild-flavored bulb crop that produces multiple bulbs per plant, making them unusually productive for home gardeners. These cool-season biennials mature in 100 to 120 days and grow 12 to 18 inches tall, thriving in full sun across hardiness zones 3 through 9. Non-GMO shallot sets offer an easy entry point into growing your own alliums, with the distinctive advantage of yielding several bulbs from a single planted set rather than the single bulb you'd get from an onion.
Full Sun
Moderate
3-9
18in H x ?in W
—
High
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Red shallots earn their keep through prolific bulbing, producing multiple bulbs clustered together where a single set was planted. Their reputation for mild onion flavor makes them less sharp than standard onions, lending themselves to dishes where you want allium sweetness without aggressive bite. The long growing season of 100 to 120 days rewards patient gardeners with well-developed, storage-worthy bulbs that keep for months.
Red shallots shine in applications where their mild, slightly sweet character won't overpower other flavors. They're excellent sliced raw into vinaigrettes and salad dressings, roasted whole until caramelized and soft, or minced into sauces and braises where their gentle onion note complements rather than dominates. Many cooks prefer shallots to onions in delicate dishes like béarnaise sauce, French preparations, and anything where you want allium flavor without aggressive pungency.
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Red shallot sets are planted directly into the garden rather than started from seed indoors. Choose a location with full sun and plant sets in early spring as soon as soil is workable, or in fall in zones where winters are mild. Space sets 6 inches apart with 18 inches between rows, pressing them into prepared soil so the tip sits just at or slightly below the surface.
Shallots are ready to harvest 100 to 120 days after planting, typically mid-summer or early fall depending on planting date. Harvest when the above-ground foliage begins to yellow and fall over naturally, a sign that bulbs have finished developing and are preparing for dormancy. Gently dig around the base of each plant to loosen the soil, then pull up the entire cluster to expose the connected bulbs. Allow harvested shallots to cure in a warm, dry, well-ventilated location for several weeks before storing or using.
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