GENERIC/ORDINARY Shallots
I am calling this variety just 'generic shallots'. More than likely it's probably Dutch Yellow or something similar. I don't know if you'd consider the color yellow or red, since there's also a variety called Ed's Red.
I started with a few mixed varieties several years ago, and basically this variety was the strongest and healthiest. It didn't bolt, so this is what I'm selling.
Shallots can be planted like garlic in the fall OR can also be planted in late winter/early spring as long as you have 4-6 weeks of cold weather coming up. They need that coldness to set up and divide. Most bulbs have a few bulbs stuck together under the same wrapper, so separate at planting time and give each one its own space.
Shallots are like small onions, but sweeter and milder. I much prefer them over regular onions that sometimes cause me stomach upset.
This type will yield 5-15x what you plant. I kid you not. I even had some that produced 20x what I planted. Give them double the spacing you'd typically give garlic (I give mine 12” spacing) and plant about 2” under the soil (make sure they're covered). Harvest mid-late summer, like onions, as soon as you can see all the bulbs well formed and sticking out of the ground.
If you wait until all the tops are dried, you'll have to work harder to dig them and will have to lay them flat to dry. I try to get mine while the tops are at least still half green, and then I can bundle and hang them to cure.
