Planting Shallots: Red Sun and Golden Gourmet

Planting shallots is something I didn’t do last year as I ran out of space.

This year, I’m making up for it by planting two varieties – Red Sun and Golden Gourmet.

First of all, I selected a border that hadn’t been fertilised the year before or used to grow onions and garlic in – as recommended.

I then dug over the plot and removed anything undesirable.

Red Sun shallots are a popular red shallot variety and are great for pickling, using in a salad and roasting.

Golden Gourmet is an enhanced version of the traditional variety ‘Giant Yellow’.

Golden Gourmet boasts large bulbs that store well during the winter.

Planting Shallots

I planted the shallots between 10cm and 15cm apart in rows, with rows spread around 25cm apart.

Shallots sit 2cm in the ground, traditionally with the tops poking through the top.

Birds love to peck at the bulbs, so I won’t be surprised if I come back and find them above the ground.

There is a simple bird deterrent you can build and that’s by laying out a giant X with string from corner to corner of the plot.

You can see how I’ve built a bird deterrent in this article about Sturon Onions.

Birds tend to pick out the shallots because they believe the tips of the bulb will make for good nesting material or they think it could just be a worm.

I’m hoping for a harvest from July onward, shallots seem quite expensive in the supermarkets for what you get, so I’m hoping this is the start of a fruitful and frugal tradition.

Have you planted these shallots before? If yes, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below.