Since my raised beds are a limited space, I didn't plant the everyday onion this year … I went for the leeks and shallots since the cost of those are 2x to 4x a yellow onion if compared by weight.  Not a bad choice although even the inexpensive onion is taking a cost jump this year thanks to horrid weather everywhere.

Leeks are going great guns and, since they can overwinter in my area, I'm pretty pleased with the near 80 leeks that are pencil to thumb width already.  The crux of my posting question is whether anyone has planted and harvested shallots before.  I planted 24 chubby bulbs and about 20 made grew into wild-hair nests of chive-like shoots.  They've now died back and I uprooted one batch today to find about 10 pinkie-sized small bulbs where there once was one.

Sigh.  Okay, I can see no shallot eating for this season and I imagine I'll replant, ummm, maybe 200 (holy cats!) new little bulbs, but what do the little dears WANT to turn into fat, lovely diceable treasures?  Does anyone know?  I will say that if they keep replicating like wild bunnies I'll never have to buy sets again ….. I'd just like to be able to eat a sizeable bulb.  Thanks!

No, I very sensibly followed the #@^&%! directions on the package of the sets sold at the big box store which had me plant them in spring (there are growing issues with these directions) … let me guess, like their bigger globe cousins, shallots do better with a lonnnng start?  Any idea on what additions make 'em happy?  How about the bed?  Satin sheets, mint on a fluffy earth pillow?  I gave them cow poo but am wondering if they're holding out for more …. besides a long winter's nap.

I was thinking back in spring, in the heat of shoving goodies into the soil and the bag of sets was in hand, the silly fools offering instructions knew what they were yowping about in print.  Keep in mind, I'm only into the second year of intentional backyard gardening so was still a trusting fool now morphing into a retail cynic.  This morning I've done some web searching and have found that shallots prefer a very, very fluffy pillow to nest in and, in order to grow fat and sassy, need to be planted just to the tip of the bulb and NEVER ever mulch as the weak dears don't want to expend precious energy flailing to the top of the heap.   This is contrary to the bag instruction which said bury to about 2 inches which, by shallot enthusiasts, is preferred if creating NEW bulbs for sets.

Despite the fact enthusiasts call shallots easy, one truly needs the royal list of housekeeping rules to keep the little princesses happy.  A veritable feather mattress of soil, no covers please, and bed them for a winter's nap.  Now I need to figure out where to build a castle bedroom (raised bed) for the fall planting and still keep DD (darn dog) from digging an apparently empty stretch of lovely dirt.  He loves his well-seasoned bones.

CindyP said:

And they like fertilizer, too!

Honestly, is there any fruit-bearing plant out there that doesn't like cow poo, chicken poo, rabbit poo, horse poo? … there is quite a list of poo to delight the vigorous appetite of veggie plants.  So far that appears to be the big thing I did right by the first planting of shallots but now I'm looking forward to next year.  And I appreciate the chime-ins of suggestions, thank you!