Until recently, shallots were classified as their own species, but we now know that they are actually members of the onion family, along with scallions, chives, leeks, and garlic.

Types of shallots

Shallots are believed to have originated in Central or Southwest Asia. There are several types of shallots, but the two most well known are the popular, red-skinned shallot (Allium cepa aggregatum) and the more flavorful French Gray shallot (A. oschaninii).

How shallots grow

Shallots are a type of bulb. Rather than growing a single bulb, the way onions do, or as a single head with several cloves, the way garlic grows, shallots create clusters of identical daughter bulbs, called offsets. Covering each bulb is a protective layer of papery tissue that can range in color from golden brown of a crimson red. The flesh can be off-white, tinged with magenta or green. Shallots are very tolerant plants. They can handle bright, hot sunlight or partial shade, and they will grow in soil pH from 5.0 to 6.8. Shallots love phosphorus, so they tend to grow well in many residential soils. The one thing they cannot tolerate is poor drainage. Shallots that sit in soggy soil will rot.

How to grow shallots

October and November are the best times of year to plant shallots in warmer regions. You can start with seeds, but I urge you to try using those offshoots, commonly called “starts” for faster results. Prepare the bed by top dressing with aged compost. The looser the soil is, the better. Then, simply press the root end of each bulb down, into the soil, leaving the shoulders of the bulb above ground. Space plants 6” apart. Rows should be 10” apart. Do not mulch heavily on top of the bulbs as this can interfere with initial growth. Straw works well.

In spring, as your shallot bulbs begin to develop bulbs, give them a nutritional boost with aged compost or a well-balanced organic fertilizer. Shallots use 1” of water a week, so be sure to irrigate regularly during dry spells.

If flower stalks emerge, remove them. Continue watering and weeding your shallots until the tops of the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall over.

Shallots grow very well in containers and look lovely on windowsills, especially when so many other plants are dormant. In the Bay Area, I have been able to keep growing the same shallot plants for 3 years. When I need one, I simply wiggle it out of the soil and cut it off 1/4 inch above the roots and cover the roots back up with soil. Nearly always, a new shallot bulb develops (but not always).

If you harvest the entire plant, cut the leaves an inch or two above the bulb and allow the bulb to dry in a cool, dark area. If cured properly, they can be stored for up to 6 months. If you leave some of your shallot plants to continue their life cycle, you can collect your own offshoots for the next season’s crop.

Shallot pests and diseases

Leek moth larvae will burrow into the bulbs and leaves of shallots, but I have not had any problems with my container grown shallots. Gophers are a big problem, so you may need to bury hardware cloth under your shallot bed. I have dogs.

Shallots are pricey in the store, but easy to grow at home. Give shallots a try today!

Onions are not roots, even though they grow underground.

The layered sphere we call onion is a bulb. Edible onions form when shortened underground stems are surrounded by fleshy leaves, called scales. People have been growing onions for 7,000 years.

Onions are members of the Allium family, which includes leeks, chives, and garlic. All of these crops are best planted late summer and early fall. One of the nicest things about growing your own onions is that they can be eaten at any stage of development. Early green shoots are called scallions, or spring onions, while mid-stage development crops are called summer onions. Onions are a cool weather crop. Hot weather will cause onions (Allium cepa) to go to seed, or bolt.

Onion varieties

​There are three common varieties of onion: white, yellow, and red. White and yellow onions are commonly sautéed or caramelized. This releases sugars that make onions taste sweet. Red onions are more often used fresh, in salads and when grilling. Onions are also classified according to the number of day-hours it takes to trigger the development of a bulb:

• long-day (L) onions - need 14 hours of daylight or more, planted late winter, are best suited for colder regions
• indeterminate-day (I) onions - need 12 to 13 hours, planted in fall, may work in warmer regions
• short-day (S) onions - need 11 to 12 hours, best choice for warmer regions

Some onions have been bred to be smaller. These are called boiler, pickler, or pearl onions. The term “pearl onion’ is incorrect because pearl onions are an entirely different species. True pearl onions are more closely related to leeks, than to common onions, and they do not have layers, more similar to garlic.

No self-respecting baked potato would consider its raiment complete without freshly snipped chives. Chives can elevate even the simplest dish, and they look lovely, growing on a window sill.

Chives are members of the onion family. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are edible perennial bulbs. Their tender green spikes are frequently offset by purple spherical blooms that are equally edible. Many beneficial insects are attracted to the flowers, as well. Plant them once and they will provide many years of flavorful beauty.

​How to grow chives

Chives are so easy to grow that they are an excellent children’s activity. Chives prefer well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-7.0 and full sun. I have had chive plants perform equally well in partially shaded clay. This herb is tenacious - I’ve even had chive plants return after being decimated by chickens! Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep and water well. Light is not needed, at first, but seeds must be kept moist and at a temperature of 60-70°F to germinate. Chives make excellent container plants and they transplant easily, once seedlings are 4 to 6 inches tall. Established plants can and should be divided periodically to avoid overcrowding. To divide a chive plant, gently dig the entire plant out of the ground and pull it apart into smaller clumps, or you can leave it in the ground and sink a shovel down through the middle, removing a portion to be transplanted elsewhere. You will want at least 5 - 10 bulbs in the clump to be moved. Once established, your chive plants will readily self-seed.

Chive pests and diseases

The only pest I have seen on my chives is an infrequent visit from individual slugs. Onion maggots and thrips are said to cause problems, but I have never seen them. Damping off disease, powdery mildew, and pink root are also said to attack chives, but not in my experience. I think, in this case, the chive plant is the anti-pest. In fact, European gypsies traditionally hang bunches of dried chives to ward of evil and illness!

Harvesting chives

Snip off however much you will be using, as close to the base as you can without damaging the rest of the plant. If your chive plant starts looking worn out, especially in late winter, you can cut the entire plant to a height of 2 or 3 inches to stimulate fresh growth. If you harvest more chives than you need, you can snip them into small bits, lay them between layers of cloth or paper towel to dry and then store in an airtight container.

Herbs are excellent additions to an edible landscape or a windowsill garden, and chives are the easiest of the edible herbs to grow. Get yours started today!

Leeks have a nice delicate flavor, but they can get pretty pricey in the grocery store. Luckily for us, they are easy to grow!

Unlike other members of the Allium family, such as garlic and onions, leeks do not form bulbs underground. Instead, leeks grow an edible stem that can be up to 2 inches in diameter. Like garlic, the leaves are flat (onion leaves are tubes). Leeks are commonly paired with potatoes, but they can also be steamed, roasted, or baked to stand on their own.

Leek cultivars

There are two basic types of leeks. Short-season leeks are planted in spring and harvested in late summer and early fall. Hardy long-season leeks are also planted in spring, in the north, but not until late summer in warmer areas. These leeks are not ready for harvesting for at least 100 days, which means they are ready for use through winter.

How to grow leeks

Leeks are biennial plants that are grown as annuals. You can start leeks from seed or by replanting the white base of an existing leek. If you use the base of a leek purchased from the grocery store, be aware that you may be introducing destructive pathogens into your garden.

The base should be planted much deeper than you might expect: 4 to 6" deep. This is how part of the stem stays white, because it is blanched underground. Blanching means keeping certain parts of a plant white by blocking sunlight. 

If you use seeds, plant them 1/2" deep and 6" apart. If you start seeds indoors, be sure to harden them off before planting them in the ground or in tall containers outside. You can also buy seedlings from your local garden store, but they will need to be gently untangled from each other before replanting - they look like unmown grass in the pot. Seedlings should then be transplanted deeper into the soil than they were, up to where the green stems begin, for a longer, more drought resistant edible. Once the seedlings are as big around as a pencil, bank soil or mulch around each plant to continue blanching the base. 

Leeks prefer cooler temperatures, so fall and winter are the best time to grow leeks in areas with hot summers. Leeks enjoy full sun and well-drained soil, but the two components that make the biggest difference in growing leeks are water and nitrogen. Leeks are heavy feeders, so planting them near peas or beans will provide an extra boost of nitrogen early in the growing process, followed with aged compost. Leeks have shallow roots so regular watering is needed for plants to reach full size. Water stress will significantly reduce yields. The soil should be moistened to a depth of 18 inches every week. Mulching around plants can reduce weeds, add nutrients, and cut water needs.

Onion maggots, onion rust, aphids, thrips, and onion white rot are the most common problems encountered when growing leeks.

The crisp, slender stalks of scallions are easy to grow and they take up very little space in a garden or on a windowsill.

Scallions, also known as green onions or spring onions, can either be immature onions before they set bulbs (spring onions), or a specific variety of Allium that never forms significant bulbs.

Scallions in the garden

Scallions can be grown in window boxes, indoor planting containers, hanging planters, or in the ground. They can be grown in full sun or used in shade gardening. The spiky forms of newly growing scallions add a pretty accent to many plantings.

​How to grow scallions

Seeds can be started at any time of year and seedlings can be grown indoors or out. Seeds should be heavily planted, 1/2" deep. Scallions can grown in clumps, so there is no need to thin transplants. Scallion seeds require moisture to germinate and they can take a month to get started. Keep the soil moist and be patient. Like other onions, scallions have a shallow root system, so proper irrigation and frequent, gentle weeding are important. Scallions are heavy nitrogen feeders, so feed regularly with fish emulsion, blood meal, or alfalfa meal. Planting a new batch of scallion seeds every three weeks will keep you supplied with scallions year round. Also, each time you snip the base off of a scallion, those roots can be replanted to grow a new scallion!

Scallion pests and diseases

Scallions may be attacked by thrips. Thrip damage gives the leaves a white streaked look. Thrips can be reduced by spraying plants with soapy water. If tunnels are found in the underground portion of the plant, it may be onion maggots. Most members of the onion family are susceptible to onion white rot and other fungal diseases, such as onion rust. If nematodes are feeding on the root system, plants will appear stunted or deformed.

Dinner wouldn’t be nearly as delicious without plants from the Allium genus. Ornamental Alliums also attract beneficial insects to your garden. ​​

How to grow Alliums

These shallow-rooted plants prefer soil that holds a lot of organic material and that means adding compost before planting. They will grow just about anywhere, but heavy clay soil can slow their growth. Alliums can be grown in partial shade to full sun. They grow well in raised beds and containers. You can grow chives in a pot on your kitchen windowsill for easy access while cooking!

Growing Alliums from seed can be hit and miss. The plants are slow starters and they don’t handle competition (weeds) very well. You can plant seeds in containers or directly in the garden. Seeds should be sown 1/2” deep and 1/2” apart. Thinned plants can be eaten as scallions.

Another way to plant Alliums is in the form of “sets”. These sets are mature bulbs that can be planted directly in the ground or a container. Follow the package directions for depth and spacing. The only downside to sets is that they tend to bolt. Bolting is the beginning of the going-to-seed process. If you are growing onions, leeks, or garlic, plants that have started bolting should be harvested right away, unless you plan to collect your own seeds.

Garlic and onions are best planted October through January.

Cousin to onions, shallots, chives, and leeks, garlic is a member of the Allium family. So why talk about garlic in the middle of August? Most of us gardeners are currently dealing with an over abundance of tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers, but fall will be here before you know it.

Rather than let your valuable garden real estate go fallow, you can chop up plant material, as plants end their productive cycle, and use this valuable resource to prepare your winter crop beds. Lay the material on top or dig it in a few inches. By the time October rolls around, the worms will have created the perfect growing medium for your garlic.

How to grow garlic

Garlic can be grown in containers, shade gardens, on balconies or windowsills, or in traditional garden rows. As a bulb, it is a resilient plant that can fit into practically any landscape. While you can certainly grow new plants from a garlic purchased at the grocery store, you are better off buying starts from a reputable grower. Grocery store garlic is safe to eat, but it may harbor diseases that can harm future crops for many years.

​Garlic comes in two basic forms: hardneck and softneck. The softneck variety stores better, but the hardneck variety produces bigger cloves that are easier to peel. When you are ready to plant, simply separate the cloves from a garlic and plant them approximately 6" apart and 1" deep, with the root end down and the pointy end up. That's it!

Garlic lore

Garlic has been cited as a cure-all and demon-repellant, among other questionable attributes, but science has shown that garlic really does repel aphids, cabbageworms, codling moths, Mexican bean beetles, peach borers, and even slugs and snails. In my book, that makes garlic worthwhile simply as a natural pest and disease inhibitor. Of course, I love to eat garlic, so I would plant it anyway!