I suppose I should clarify my terms here. I am referring to the true shallot that has cloves like garlic, not bunching onions.

Hey donnabaskets, happy new year! I hate to say it, but your clarification actually confused me. I'm not sure what you mean by "having cloves like garlic"... And sometimes people call multiplier onions bunching onions, and multiplier onions are very similar to most shallots. Do you mean the french grey shallot? Anyhow you plant them at the same time as garlic generally, though I have had success planting them real early in spring. Hope this helps a bit!

Oh Lord have mercy, sunnibel! I am merely passing on what I have READ since I have never grown shallots. I have grown something that was called multiplying onions at the Feed and Seed. My understanding from reading is that shallots bulb up and make cloves similarly to garlic. (Yes? No?) Or perhaps they are like daffodil bulbs and offset bulbs from the roots? Pictures I have seen, show bulbs that are eaten (and planted). I have ordered some.

However, multipliers are pictured as green onion looking things that grow from a common root base, but don't make much, if any, bulb. They are grown for their tops and their white bases. (what most people call green onions) I have ordered seed for these.

Then there are potato onions, which I have ordered. Some places call those shallots....I am hoping that all this will become clear after I see and grow some of this. LOL

I still am wondering about the long/short day issue....?

Ah, I feel you! Ok, I'm not an expert, but I have grown these things, and the terminology is confusing. Bunching onions are like scallions. I've never had any make a bunch, though. Then there are the potato onions or multiplier onions. But sometimes those are refered to as bunching too. And then there are shallots, which are a lot like the potato onions in growth, but flavored differently. Then in the shallots there is something called the french grey, which looks rather different from the others.

Shallots do make more shallots like daffodils and tulips do. You take in your harvest for the year and you peel what you think is one big shallot and it turns out to be 2-3 smaller onesin their own wrappers inside the big outside wrapper. So sort of like garlic, but sort of not. I guess I tend to think of them as different from garlic because during the growing season then new bulbs put out foliage too, unlike garlic.

As for the long day short day thing, I would say that to my knowledge there is no need to worry. I've never noticed any mention of special southern varieties. Hope this helps a bit more!

I have never grown shallots (want to this year), but at the store most ones I purchase have two "cloves" inside the big wrapper. So I split it in half and chop it up that way.

As far as I found all shallots respond to long days but I couldn't find an actual day length figure.

Thanks to you all! Sunibel, that is the is the best description of the types of alliums I have found anywhere to date. It was very helpful and I thank you.

Going thoroughly through my Johnny's catalog, I found where they said that all shallots are either long day or short day varieties. They give the latitudes at which each of their shallots grow best, and none of those are below 35 degrees. I live at 32... The Southern Living Gardening book lists three that they recommend for southern gardens: Matador, Bonilla, and Prima. Bonilla seed is available at Territorial Seeds and Matador through Cooks garden. I have both coming.

I am so glad I found Gardenweb! I had given up on vegetable gardening for ten years. You all have given me the courage and the information to try again and succed!

Thank you for sharing that info. about day length and shallots bulbing! It's funny, I did a quick glance through my catalogs and didn't see anything, but I didn't have Johnny's there. So now I've learned something too. :) I'm just at that part of the country where both long day and short day varieties can be grown. Last year I took a leap of faith with that info and grew a long day storage onion, all the stores around here carry are short day transplants! Gardenweb empowered me, too.

I've never grown shallot from seed, but my parents did a year or two ago and they were happy with the results. Good luck!

To my knowledge shallots need long day lengths to bulb up.

As far as growing them, you plant each individual bulb in the fall or very early spring. The bulb will send up a group of sprouts(stalks?) like this:
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Each of those sprouts will produce one shallot bulb. When they are ready for harvest you cure and store them like onions. They are pretty easy to grow and they multiply like crazy. I harvested 28 bulbs last year from only 4 plants.

Rodney

When I lived in Hidalgo Mexico, I had trouble finding a multiplier or shallot, which would bulb up. The days were too short at 20 degrees S. Finally, I found Atlas, a seed grown shallot, which was good that South. As mentioned in the Alliums forum, I haven't found that one recently. Apparently it is discontinued.

Latitude wise, I'm not that far South. But we live in a transitional area for onions. Long day onions struggle here.

George
Tahlequah, OK

From my favorite gardening source of info: Clemson University

Shallots

Shallots are often considered the gourmet member of the onion family. They have a mild, delicate but distinctive flavor and can either be grown for use as green onions, or for the clusters of small bulbs that are used like garlic or onions.

Planting: Bulbs are planted in fall for winter and spring harvest. Space shallots about 6 to 8 inches apart within the row, and plant the individual sets 1 to 2 inches deep. Keep the soil moist to encourage sprouting.

Culture: Grow shallots as you would onions. During the growing season, some of the leaves may be cut at the ground level and used as green onions. Plants that are not heavily cut will proceed to form many bulbs attached together forming a clump. Shallot bulbs often develop on top of the ground. Do not cover them with soil.

Harvesting & Storage: Shallots can be harvested for use as green onions 60 days after planting, or in the late spring after the tops have died down completely for dry bulbs. Cure bulbs in a warm, dry place for about a week.

Store in mesh bags in cool, dry conditions. Replant the smaller bulbs or use them first since they do not keep well. Green shallots can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Problems: Shallots are subject to the same problems as are onions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Shallots

I got a new book for Christmas: "Growing Vegetables and Herbs" by Taunton Press. Here is what it says about shallots.

"There are three types of shallots. The so-called French shallot is the most common and produces clusters of small bulbs, typically with copper skins and tear-shaped bulbs with rose colored flesh. The second type is the so-called potato onion or multiplier onion, which is a shallot that forms a bulb one year, then divides into a cluster of bulbs the next season. This type of shallot is ideal for hot climates and is widely grown in the South. The last group is the top-setting shallot, which sends up a pseudo-flower head that forms a small cluster of bulbs.

The Gray Shallot is the aristocraft of the shallot world and is also one of the best storage varieties. Yellow shallots tend to be hardier than the red varieties."

So, alot of you had figured out part or all of the whole picture. Thanks to all. I can't wait to give these a try!(especially the potato onions which I ordered for Southern Exposure)

Not sure on the long day/ short day thing, but I grew shallots for the first time last year. I'm in a different zone than you are, NorthEast in Zone 6, I planted and grew mine just like the garlic I tried for the first time last year. Super easy, IMO, and can't beat the flavor of either. I still have loads of both on a screen in my garage from this past seasons harvest. I planted French Shallots from territorial seed in the fall for this upcoming season.

donna, I understand just how you feel.
I have learned more about onions(Alliums) on the Alliums form then any where on the net.
I think there is a thread for each Question you have.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alliums short & long days

Yes, indeed. The alliums forum is very helpful. I think the most confusing thing is all the terms that are used: bunching, multiplying, potato, shallots, etc.... One seems to be used as a synonym of another quite often and that makes it impossisble to know what is being said.... Another reason to learn the latin names and use them.

I have seed for three varieties of shallots, a pound of potato onion bulbs coming, seed for bunching onions, and a promise of some passalong bunchers, too. For better or worse, this is going to be the year I try to sort all this out! :) In the meantime, I am thoroughly enjoying watching my first garlic and bulb onion crop mature. Just as a note to any newbies, the onion seeds for the bulb onions were some of the easiest I have ever worked with!

Sol Meltzer's "Herb Gardening in Texas" has information about which shallots grew best in his conditions. He gardens/gardened in Houston, Texas. Houston's about 29-30 degrees latitude. Can't find my copy