Beginner Seasoned
Pick your zone and the dates re-calibrate.
The Guide Crops Vol. 003

Shallot

in Zone 9, this week

A shallot is a small, mild onion relative that grows in a cluster. Here is the fun part: you plant one little bulb (called a set) and it splits underground into a bunch of 6 to 12 bulbs, so you dig up a whole clump from each one you planted. Shallots taste sweeter and gentler than regular onions, with a hint of garlic, and they keep for many months once dried. They are the same species as the onion, so like onions they start making bulbs based on how long the days are, not on the calendar. The traditional kinds grown from sets are easygoing about this, but it still helps to pick a type suited to where you live. Give them rich, loose soil and full sun, water them steadily, and they are one of the easiest alliums to grow. Shallot (Allium cepa, Aggregatum group) is a cool-season allium grown for the small, fine-grained bulbs prized for their mild, sweet, faintly garlicky flavor. Its signature is multiplication: plant one set and it divides underground into a cluster of 6 to 12 bulbs, so you lift a whole clump where an onion gives a single bulb. Like the bulb onion it shares a species with, shallot is photoperiodic, a cluster sizes up only once day length crosses a cultivar threshold, which is why the right type tracks your latitude. Traditional set-grown shallots are more forgiving about day length than seed onions, but matching the type to your region still pays off. Grow it like an onion otherwise: a heavy-feeding, shallow-rooted plant in loose, fertile soil, kept evenly moist while the clump fills, then eased off water as the tops fall to begin curing. Well-cured shallots store for months, often longer than onions.

Shallot mature plant
Fig. 01 · Shallot, mature Zone 9
Mature in
90-120d
from transplant
Sunlight
Full sun
6-10 hrs daily
Water
Consistent
12 inches / week
Spacing
6-8"
between plants
Soil pH
6-7
slightly acidic
Today · in your zone

What's happening right now

July 24 · Zone 9 · Stage 01 · Sprouting & Emergence

Off-season for shallot in zone 9.

Seasoned
Microclimate · Zone 9a vs 9b

Your zone, at a finer grain

Zone 9 averages a last frost around March 1. Within Zone 9, the colder half (9a, winters down to 20°F) runs about a week later. The warmer half (9b, winters down to 25°F) runs about a week earlier. The plant app picks your subzone from your ZIP.

SubzoneLast springFirst fallGrowing daysWinter minFruits reliably
9aMar 8Nov 24~26120-25°FYes · two seasons
9bFeb 28Nov 30~27525-30°FYes · two seasons

Averages from 8 weather stations per subzone, drawn from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Your actual frost date can vary by up to two weeks based on elevation, proximity to water, and local topography.

Source: NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals Methodology
Your climate region in Zone 9
Day length, not the calendar

Pick the right shallot for Zone 9

Shallots are the same species as onions, so like onions they decide to start making bulbs based on how long the days are, not on a date. The types are sorted the same way: long-day kinds suit the North, short-day kinds suit the South (where they are planted in fall or winter), and intermediate kinds suit the middle of the country. One nice thing: the traditional shallots grown from sets are more easygoing about day length than seed onions, so they are forgiving for beginners. Still, picking a type that matches where you live gives you the fullest clumps. Day length decides when the bulbs form, but it does not change when you plant, which still depends on frost and soil temperature.Shallot is the same species as the bulb onion (Allium cepa), so it is photoperiodic: the clump stops adding leaves and starts dividing into bulbs only once day length crosses a cultivar threshold. Types fall into the same classes by latitude, long-day at 14 to 16 hours, intermediate-day at 12 to 14 hours, and short-day at 10 to 12 hours. Long-day types fit northern latitudes, short-day types fit the South where they are fall or winter planted, and intermediate types span the middle. One important nuance: traditional set-grown shallots are widely reported as more day-length forgiving, closer to day-neutral, than seed onions, while modern seed-grown hybrids behave like day-length-typed onions. Matching the type to your latitude still gives the fullest clumps. Day length triggers bulbing only; it never moves your planting date, which stays anchored to frost and soil temperature.

Grow in your area
Intermediate-day shallots

Intermediate-day shallots suit the middle of the country, and most set shallots do well here. They are easygoing about day length, so this is a forgiving spot to grow them.These central latitudes suit intermediate-day shallots, which bulb around 12 to 14 hours. Most widely sold set shallots adapt well here, and the day-length response is genuinely soft for the set types.

Intermediate-dayfor your area
Dutch Yellowall-purpose storage (sets)
French Redculinary classic (sets)
Zebruneelongated mild (seed or sets)
Gray Grisellegourmet flavor (sets)
Long-day
Conservorlong-storage hybrid (seed)
Ambitionall-purpose hybrid (seed)
Short-day
Southern multipliermild-winter clumping (sets)
The season at a glance

Planting calendar

In Zone 9, shallot can be planted October through March. Harvest runs June through July.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
plant
plant
plant
plant
too late
too late
too late
too early
too early
too early
plant
plant
plant
harvest
harvest
harvest
indoors
plant out
harvest
Shallots bulb on day length, not days since planting. Every planting in this window bulbs together once summer days get long enough, so a long planting window still gives one tight harvest. Planting earlier just grows a bigger shallot before bulbing; it does not stagger the harvest.
Above-ground cropBest planted on a none moon
The season, mapped

Seed to garden

The easy way to grow shallots is from sets, which are small bulbs you buy and plant. Each set splits into a clump of several bulbs. Push each set in pointy-end up so the tip just shows at the soil surface, and space them at their final distance because shallots are not thinned. Pick firm sets and avoid big or already-sprouting ones, which tend to flower instead of dividing. You can also grow shallots from seed, started indoors about 8 to 10 weeks early, which gives single bulbs rather than clumps.Sets are the classic and easiest route: each one divides into a clump of 6 to 12 bulbs. Push sets root-end down with the tip just at or above the surface, 1 to 2 inches deep, at final spacing, since shallots are not thinned. Choose firm, healthy sets; oversized or already-sprouted sets are primed to bolt rather than divide cleanly. Seed is the other path and gives single, uniform bulbs from modern hybrids, started about 8 to 10 weeks before set-out for the largest plants.

  1. 01
    Sow outside
    Oct - Nov or Jan - March
  2. 02
    First harvest
    Ready when day length triggers bulbing; see the day-length card above
Start method
Both
Soil temp
48-90°F
From seed to fruit

The growing journey

Stage 01 · Sprouting & Emergence
01
Sprouting & Emergence
Days 7-21 · current stage
If you planted sets, look for green shoots coming up within a week or two. If you planted seeds, look for thin grass-like shoots that start bent in a little loop, then stand up. Sets come up faster and more reliably than seed.From sets, a green shoot pushes up within a week or two as the bulb roots down; from seed, a single looped seed leaf emerges bent like a hairpin, then straightens into a slender tube. Stands from seed are sparse and uneven; sets are quicker and surer.
Keep the top of the soil damp so the sets root in well and any seeds do not dry out, and pull weeds early, because young shallots lose out to weeds easily. Space sets at their final distance, since you do not thin shallots.Keep the surface evenly moist so sets root in and seed never dries mid-germination, and keep the bed weed-free from the start; allium seedlings are weak competitors. Set sets at final spacing, since shallots are not thinned.
FROM PLANT · Push each set in pointy-end up so the tip just shows, about 1 to 2 inches deep, spaced 6 to 8 inches apart, since you do not thin shallots. Plant them shallow and do not pile soil over the bulbs, because the roots are shallow and that hurts them.Push sets in root-end down with the tip just at the surface, 1 to 2 inches deep, at final 6 to 8 inch spacing, since shallots are not thinned. Plant shallow; burying the bulb or hilling soil over it damages the shallow roots and shrinks the clump.
02
Leaf & Canopy Building
Days 21-90
Each plant grows a fan of upright leaves and starts to divide at the base into several shoots. This stage matters most for how full your clump gets, so you want steady, unbroken growth.Each set sends up a fan of upright tubular leaves and begins to split at the base into multiple growing points. This is the stage that decides clump size: the leaf canopy built now sets how many bulbs the clump can make and how large they get. You want vigorous, uninterrupted leaf growth, not a check from drought, weeds, or cold.
Help the plants grow lots of healthy leaves now. Feed with nitrogen, keep the soil evenly moist, and keep weeds out. Do most of the feeding early, because feeding too late leads to soft necks that do not store well.Push leaf growth: side-dress nitrogen, hold moisture steady, and stay ruthless about weeds. Front-load the feeding so the canopy is built before day length triggers bulbing; nitrogen applied late goes to soft necks instead of bulbs.
FROM PLANT · Focus on growing lots of healthy leaves now, because the leaves built early decide how full your clump gets. Feed with nitrogen about a month after planting and again a month later, keep the soil moist, and pull weeds, since shallots do not compete with weeds well.Push leaf growth now: the canopy each plant builds before day length flips it to bulbing sets how full the clump becomes. Side-dress nitrogen at about 30 and 60 days, keep moisture steady, and stay ruthless about weeds, which shallots compete with poorly.
03
Clump Division & Bulb Initiation
Days 70-110
When the days reach the right length, the plant stops making new leaves and each shoot swells into its own bulb, turning one planted set into a clump of several. This switch is set by how long the days are where you live, not by the calendar, so you cannot speed it up.Once day length crosses the cultivar threshold, the plant stops adding leaves and each growing point swells into its own bulb, so a single set becomes a cluster of 6 to 12. This is the photoperiod switch: the trigger is day length, set by your latitude and the season, not the calendar. The clump bulbs up on whatever leaf count it reached, which is why the leaf stage mattered.
You cannot make this happen faster, so just keep watering steadily as the clump starts to fill out. If nothing swells, or it swells when the plants are still tiny, you may have the wrong type for your area, which is the thing to fix next year.There is no action that moves this trigger; the work was done in the leaf stage. Keep moisture steady so the swell starts without a check, and confirm you planted a type suited to your latitude.
FROM PLANT · When the days reach the right length, the plant stops making leaves and each shoot swells into its own bulb. You cannot speed this up, so just keep watering steadily as the clump fills out. If nothing swells, or it swells while plants are tiny, you likely have the wrong type for your area, which is the thing to fix next year.Clump division is triggered by day length crossing the cultivar threshold, not by anything you do, so there is no action that moves it; the leaf count reached before the switch sets how many bulbs form and how large. Keep moisture steady so the swell starts without a check, and confirm you planted a type suited to your latitude.
04
Bulb Sizing
Days 95-125
The leaves stay green and standing while the bulbs in the clump get bigger below them and start to show at the soil surface. This is when shallots put on most of their size, so keep the watering steady.Tops stay green and upright while the bulbs in the clump swell and shoulders begin to show at the soil surface. This is the fast-fill window; steady, even moisture now translates directly into size, while any drought check costs final weight.
Keep watering evenly and stop adding nitrogen, because feeding now leads to thick necks that do not store. Do not bend the green tops down to hurry them, an old trick that actually makes shallots smaller, since those leaves are still feeding the bulbs.Hold even moisture through the swell and taper nitrogen off; late nitrogen now thickens necks and works against storage. Do not bend the tops to force them, an old trick that backfires because the standing leaves are still feeding the bulbs.
FROM PLANT · When the bulbs start to swell, stop adding nitrogen. Do not bend over the green tops to hurry things along, an old trick that backfires, because the leaves are still feeding the bulbs and breaking them makes the shallots smaller.As the clump swells, taper off nitrogen and let the necks mature; do not bend or break the green tops to force bulbing, since the leaves are still feeding the bulbs and knocking them down reduces final size.
05
Maturity & Curing
Days 110-140
The necks get soft and the green tops flop over by themselves. When most have fallen, it is time to harvest. After you lift the clumps, the bulbs still are not ready to store until they have dried: the skins turn papery and the necks dry shut.The necks soften and the tops fall over on their own; most tops down is the harvest cue. After lifting the whole clump, the bulbs are not storage-ready until cured: outer scales turn papery and the necks dry tight, which seals each bulb against rot.
On a dry day, loosen the soil and lift each clump, handling them carefully so they do not bruise. Then dry (cure) them for one to two weeks somewhere warm, shaded, and breezy until the skins go papery and the necks dry shut. Split the clumps into single bulbs and keep them cool and dry.Loosen and lift whole clumps on a dry day, handling gently to avoid the bruises that seed storage rot. Cure one to two weeks in a warm, airy, shaded spot until scales rustle and necks are tight, then break the clump into bulbs and store cool and dry.
FROM PLANT · Harvest when most of the tops have flopped over on their own and the necks feel soft. Lift the whole clumps gently on a dry day, and try not to bruise them, since bruises lead to rot in storage.Harvest when most tops have naturally fallen and necks have softened. Loosen and lift whole clumps on a dry day; careful handling avoids the bruises that seed storage rot.
FROM PLANT · Dry (cure) the shallots in a warm, airy, shaded place for one to two weeks until the skins are papery and the necks are tight. Then split the clumps into single bulbs and cut the tops about an inch above each. Shallots that are not dried well are the ones that rot in storage.Cure in a warm, airy, shaded spot for one to two weeks until outer scales are papery and the neck is tight and dry, then break the clump into bulbs and trim tops about an inch above each bulb. Poor curing is the main cause of storage loss.
Beginner
Know your soil

Your soil

Identify yours

Not sure what soil you have? Grab a small handful of damp soil from your garden bed and squeeze it. If it crumbles apart easily, it's sandy. If it holds together but breaks when you poke it, it's loam (what most vegetables want). If it stays in a hard, slippery ball, it's clay.

What this crop wants

Shallots like loose, rich, well-drained soil. Mix in compost before you plant. They do poorly in heavy clay or in soil that forms a hard surface crust, because their roots stay shallow and the multiplying clump needs air and steady moisture right near the surface.

If your soil doesn't match

You have sandy soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost into the top 6 inches of your bed before planting. Compost holds moisture (which sandy soil drains too fast) and adds the nutrients sandy soil tends to lack. Repeat each season. Compost breaks down over time.

You have clay soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost AND a few inches of coarse sand or perlite into the top 6 inches of your bed. The compost feeds the plants; the sand breaks up the clay so air and water can move through. Don't add sand without compost. It can compact like concrete.

Containers and raised beds

If amending your soil sounds like too much work, or if your soil is heavy clay, full of rocks, or contaminated, build over it. A raised bed at least 12 inches deep filled with a 50/50 mix of compost and sandy loam gives you ideal growing soil with no battles. A 5-gallon container with quality potting mix does the same for one plant at a time. Both bypass your native soil entirely.

Learn more about your soil
The specs

Care guide

The numbers that matter, at a glance.

Sunlight
Full sun · 6-10 hrs/day
Water
consistent
Spacing
6-8 inches
Soil
loam, sandy loam
Days to maturity
90-120 days from transplant
Soil pH
6 to 7
Container OK?
Yes · 5+ gal pot
Germination temp
48-90°F
Soil chemistry

Soil pH for shallot

Preferred
6 to 7
Tolerated
5.5 to 7.5

Shallots like soil close to neutral, about pH 6.0 to 7.0, and will tolerate roughly 5.5 to 7.5. They do not like sour (acidic) soil. A simple soil test takes the guesswork out, and garden lime helps if the test comes back too low.Shallots grow best near neutral, roughly pH 6.0 to 7.0, tolerating about 5.5 to 7.5. They dislike strongly acid soil; below about pH 6.0 a liming amendment helps. Confirm with a soil test before adjusting.

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Steady hand on the hose

Watering

When & how much
Frequency
Water shallots regularly so the soil stays evenly moist while they grow. Their roots are shallow, so dry spells make smaller clumps. Stop watering when the tops start to flop over, so the bulbs can begin to dry.Keep the soil consistently moist through leaf growth and bulb division; shallots have small, shallow root systems, and any drought check directly reduces clump size and bulb count. Then stop watering once the tops begin to fall, to start the bulbs curing.
Amount
About an inch of water a week is a good target, and more during hot, dry weather. Steady moisture is better than a flood one week and nothing the next.Aim for roughly an inch of water per week from rain plus irrigation, more in heat or sandy soil, keeping moisture near field capacity in the top 8 to 12 inches where the roots feed.
Method
Water the soil at the base of the plants, not over the leaves. Keeping the tops dry helps prevent disease.Water at the base with drip or a soaker to keep the foliage dry; wet tops invite the leaf and neck diseases that spoil bulbs in storage.
Signs of trouble
Too much water
If the soil stays soggy and the bottoms of the plants turn yellow and soft, that is too much water. Sitting in wet soil makes shallots rot.Waterlogged soil and yellowing, mushy bases signal overwatering; standing moisture around the clump encourages basal and neck rots.
Too little water
Wilting, bluish, or brown-tipped leaves mean the shallots are too dry. Shallots that do not get enough water stay small and taste sharper.Bluish, wilting, or tip-burned leaves and stalled growth indicate the clump is short of water; under-watered shallots stay small and turn more pungent.
Feeding rhythm

Feeding

Frequency
Side-dress twice early
Type
Nitrogen-forward
When to start
Side-dress during leaf growth, then taper off as the clump divides and bulbs form

Shallots are hungry plants. Feed them nitrogen while the leaves are growing, because strong leaves now mean a fuller clump of bulbs later. Feed about a month after planting and again a month after that, then stop feeding by about mid-July. Feeding late makes thick necks and soft shallots that do not keep well.Shallots are heavy feeders. Drive leaf growth early with nitrogen, side-dressing at about 30 and 60 days after planting, because the leaf canopy built before bulbing sets the size and number of bulbs in the clump. Then stop: hold off on nitrogen after about mid-July. Late, excess nitrogen delays maturity and produces thick necks and soft bulbs that store poorly.

High nitrogen early

Use a feed higher in the first number (nitrogen) early on, then stop the nitrogen once the bulbs start forming.Higher first-number (N) feeds early; ease off nitrogen as the clump starts to bulb.

Try ammonium sulfate or a balanced vegetable fertilizer
Who grows well together

Companion planting

Shallots are good neighbors for carrots, beets, lettuce, and cabbage-family plants, mostly because their strong allium smell is thought to keep some pests away. The main thing to avoid is planting them next to beans or peas, since alliums can slow those down. These are helpful traditions, not sure things, so do not worry if your garden does a little differently. Shallots earn their companion reputation mostly through allium scent, which is traditionally credited with deterring aphids and the carrot rust fly, so they pair well with carrots, beets, lettuce, and brassicas. The one firm caution is the legume conflict: alliums are widely held to inhibit beans and peas, so keep shallots away from them. Most of these claims are traditional rather than trial-proven; treat them as low-risk suggestions, not guarantees.

Other
Carrots
Shallots and carrots are a classic garden pair. The strong allium smell is said to help hide carrots from the carrot rust fly, and the two plants do not crowd each other's roots.Carrots and alliums are the textbook reciprocal pairing. Shallots' sulfur scent helps mask carrots from the carrot rust fly, and the two have complementary root habits. Intercropping trials have measured real reductions in carrot fly where alliums and carrots grow together. Plant in alternating rows with enough shallot density for the scent-masking to register; the strongest results come from small mixed plantings rather than large solid blocks. Research-backed
Beets
Beets and shallots grow well side by side. They like the same cool weather and stay out of each other's way.Beets and shallots share a bed comfortably. The allium pungency helps deter pests that bother beets, and because shallots bulb shallowly with sparse upright foliage while beets put their energy into a single root, the two do not crowd each other above or below ground. Mostly a good-neighbor, efficient-space pairing with a modest pest-repel bonus. Traditional
Lettuce
Fast little lettuce plants fit nicely in the gaps between shallots and like the same cool season, so you get two crops from one spot.Lettuce and shallots interplant efficiently. Lettuce is shallow-rooted and quick while shallots send narrow clumps down with little leafy spread, so they occupy different space and the lettuce fills in between rows. The allium scent offers a little aphid deterrence over the lettuce as a bonus. Treat it as a space-and-timing pairing first, mild pest help second. Traditional
Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli)
Cabbage and broccoli like the same cool weather as shallots, and the strong allium smell is thought to bother some of their pests.Shallots are a well-supported brassica companion through the allium family effect. Their sulfur scent helps mask the cabbage family and deter its signature pests, and extension trial work with alliums in a mix showed reduced caterpillar damage. Alliums are shallow and undemanding, so they tuck between brassicas without competing for the heavy feeding those crops want. Research-backed
Provenance tagged inline · see methodology for the labeling system Key
Harvest signals

When to pick

Your shallots are ready to dig when most of the leafy tops have flopped over and turned yellow and the necks feel soft, usually about 3 to 4 months after planting sets in spring. Dig up the whole clump on a dry day, then dry (cure) the bulbs before storing. If you want fresh green shallots sooner, you can pull a few young plants at around 50 to 60 days and use them like green onions.A shallot clump is ready when most of the tops have yellowed and fallen over on their own and the necks have started to soften and dry, usually 90 to 120 days from a spring set. Lift the whole cluster on a dry day, brush off loose soil, and cure before storing. You can also pull green shallots early, at 50 to 60 days, for fresh use like scallions.

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Yield

What to expect

Each set you plant gives you a clump of about 6 to 12 shallots. Spacing them wider makes bigger clumps; planting close makes fewer, larger single bulbs. A 10-foot row gives several pounds in a good year.One set yields a clump of about 6 to 12 bulbs; wider spacing makes larger clumps, denser spacing makes fewer, bigger single bulbs. A 10-foot row at 6-inch spacing returns roughly several pounds of cured shallots in a good season.

Shallots of the same kind all finish around the same time, so you harvest most of them together rather than a few at a time.All clumps of a variety size up and mature together as day length triggers bulbing, so the harvest comes in one main flush rather than over a long window. The biggest things for a good first harvest are picking a type suited to where you live and giving each set room to make a full clump. Crowding gives lots of tiny bulbs.Matching variety type to your latitude and giving each clump room are the biggest first-year yield levers; crowded clumps make many tiny bulbs, and a mismatched type bulbs too early or barely divides.

What changes yield
variety type matched to latitudespacing for clump roomleaf count at bulb initiationconsistent moistureearly nitrogen then taperfreedom from bolting
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Off the vine

Storing your harvest

Room temp
Once the shallots are cured (dried), split the clumps into single bulbs and keep them somewhere cool, dry, and airy. They keep best just above freezing; a warm spot makes them sprout. Good storage kinds last many months.After curing, store cured clumps, broken into individual bulbs, in a cool, dry, well-ventilated spot near 32 to 40°F; warmer than about 40°F encourages sprouting. Good storage types hold for many months, often longer than onions.
Fridge
You do not need to refrigerate whole cured shallots, and the fridge can make them damp. Fresh green shallots are the exception and keep a week or two in the fridge.Whole cured shallots do not need refrigeration and can sweat in the crisper. Fresh green shallots are the exception, keeping a week or two chilled.
Freezer
You can chop shallots and freeze them for cooking. They go soft after thawing, so use frozen shallots in cooked food, not in salads.Shallots freeze well chopped for cooking; texture softens, so use frozen shallot in cooked dishes rather than raw.
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When something goes wrong

Common problems

01 of 03
02 of 03
03 of 03
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The usual suspects

Pests & diseases

Pests
Onion thrips
P · 01
Cause A tiny insect called onion thrips. It multiplies fast in warm, dry weather and hides in the tight folds of the leaves.Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) build through warm, dry spells, sheltering in the leaf axils where sprays miss them.
Onion maggot
P · 02
Cause The larvae (maggots) of a small fly that lays eggs at the base of allium plants. They survive in leftover onion and shallot debris.Larvae of the onion maggot fly (Delia antiqua), whose eggs are laid at the plant base; populations carry over in allium residue.
Allium leafminer
P · 03
Cause A small invasive fly that attacks onions, shallots, garlic, and leeks. The adults come out and lay eggs in spring and again in fall, and the grubs tunnel into the plants.The allium leafminer (Phytomyza gymnostoma), an invasive fly that attacks alliums including shallot; adults fly and lay eggs in a spring generation (about March into May) and again in fall (September into October).
Diseases
White rot
D · 01
Cause A soil fungus that attacks only onions, shallots, garlic, and leeks. It likes cool, damp soil, and its survival specks last in the ground for decades, so an infected bed stays a problem for years.A soilborne fungus (Sclerotium cepivorum) that attacks only alliums and favors cool, moist soil. Its sclerotia survive in the ground for 20 to 30 years, so once a bed is infested it stays infested.
Downy mildew
D · 02
Cause A mildew that spreads in cool, wet, humid weather, especially when the leaves stay wet and the plants are crowded.The fungus-like pathogen Peronospora destructor, favored by cool, wet, humid conditions and lingering leaf wetness; it spreads fast in crowded, poorly aired plantings.
Botrytis neck rot
D · 03
Cause A mold that gets into the neck of shallots that were harvested too green or not dried properly. Too much late fertilizer and bending the tops down make it worse.Botrytis infection of immature or insufficiently cured necks; excess late nitrogen and bent-over green tops worsen it.
Pink root
D · 04
Cause A soil fungus that builds up when shallots and their relatives are grown in the same ground year after year. Stressed plants get it worst.A soilborne fungus (Setophoma terrestris) that builds in continuous allium ground; stressed plants show it worst.
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Seasoned
Where to plant next year

Crop rotation

Shallots do well planted after leafy greens or beans and peas. Just do not plant beans or peas right next to shallots, since alliums can slow them down.Shallots follow well after a leafy or legume crop and pair poorly before beans and peas, which alliums tend to inhibit.

Family
Allium
Years between
4 years
in the same bed
Avoid following
Do not plant shallots where you grew shallots, onions, garlic, or leeks recently. Some allium diseases live in the soil and build up, and white rot in particular lingers for years. Wait at least 3 to 4 years before growing alliums in the same spot again.Avoid following shallots or other alliums (onions, garlic, leeks) in the same ground; several allium diseases, including white rot and pink root, persist in soil for years. White rot sclerotia can survive decades, so commercial guidance runs 5 to 7 years between allium crops; a home garden can target at least 3 to 4.
Plant after
leafy greens or legumes
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In the app · pre-launch

When plant taps you on the shoulder

The plant app sends a timely reminder at every critical moment of your shallot season. The wording adjusts to whichever you pick: beginner or seasoned. Here are three you'll see in Zone 9.

p
plant
2 weeks before last frost
Time to plant shallot sets
Plant your shallot sets now, once the soil can be worked in spring (or in fall where winters are mild). Push each one in pointy-end up so the tip just shows, spaced 6 to 8 inches apart. Use firm, not-too-big sets so they do not bolt.
p
plant
4 weeks after plant out
Feed your shallots now
Feed your shallots a nitrogen fertilizer now and again about a month later to grow plenty of leaves before the bulbs form. Stop feeding by about mid-July. More leaves now means a fuller clump later.
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Seasoned
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If you've grown this crop and you see a date, a temperature, a companion claim, or a recommendation that doesn't match your experience, tell us. Real growers' corrections make this guide better for the next person.

How we built this guide

Methodology & sources

Every date, temperature, spacing, and recommendation on this page is sourced from university cooperative extension publications, peer-reviewed agricultural research, NOAA climate data, and direct extension calendars. Where claims are softer (traditional gardening wisdom not formally documented), we say so.

Research-backed Documented in cooperative extension publications or peer-reviewed research
Well-grounded A known agronomic principle, but not formally tested for this specific pair
Traditional Time-tested gardening wisdom, limited formal research support
Last reviewed
June 29, 2026
Data version
crops_data_final · v1.0 · schema 2.9
Sources cited on this page
16 publications
Verified entries
Companion-planting claims tagged inline · zone dates verified against 5+ extensions
See all sources cited on this page
  • University of Minnesota Extension umn_ext
  • University of Maryland Extension umd_ext
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension cornell_ext
  • Iowa State University Extension iastate_ext
  • Michigan State University Extension msu_ext
  • NC State Extension ncsu_ext
  • Penn State Extension psu_ext
  • U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension uiuc_ext
  • UC Davis Postharvest Center ucd_postharvest
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension tamu_agrilife
  • Virginia Cooperative Extension 426-331 vce_426_331
  • Piedmont Master Gardeners piedmont_mg
  • UGA Vegetable Garden Calendar uga_calendar
  • Clemson Home & Garden Information Center clemson_hgic
  • UC IPM Statewide IPM Program uc_ipm
  • NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals noaa_normals

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Vol. 003 · Shallot · plant.lifestyle