key growing information

Growing Shallots From Seed

How to grow shallots from seed: soil, day length, starting transplants, direct sowing and spacing, watering, harvest, curing and storage.

By Hensley’s Seed Co. September 3, 2026

Shallots - Key Growing Information

SCIENTIFIC NAME:

Allium cepa var. aggregatum

CULTURE:

Shallots need full sun and fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0–7.0. Sandy loam is ideal; on heavier soil, use raised beds or raised rows to improve drainage. Plants spaced about 2" apart tend to form a single bulb.

DAY LENGTH:

Shallots respond to day length just as onions do, so grow them the way you would long-day onions.

DAYS TO MATURITY:

Counted from direct sowing; take off 10–15 days for transplants.

TRANSPLANTING:

Where seasons are short, start seed indoors in flats from late February to mid-March, scattering seed ½" apart and covering it ¼". Trim tops to 5" if needed and plant out 4" apart. Or sow 5 seeds per cell in 1–1½" plug trays, thin to 3, and set each cell out 6" apart.

DIRECT SEEDING:

In April or early May, or as early in spring as the soil can be prepared, sow ¼–½" deep in a 2"-wide band at about 2 seeds per inch, rows 12–18" apart. Thin to 2" for the highest yields in rich soil, or to 3–4" for bigger shallots.

AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE:

At 20 seeds per foot in 18" rows: 1 oz. sows about 25', 1,000 seeds about 50', 5,000 about 250', 25,000 about 1,250', and roughly 580,000 seeds per acre.

CROP MAINTENANCE:

Keep shallots weed-free with shallow cultivation. Their roots are shallow, so they need at least 1" of rain or irrigation a week, especially while bulbing.

DISEASE:

Good airflow and crop rotation help lower the risk of leaf disease.

HARVEST:

Once the necks soften and the tops fall over, pull the shallots and sun-cure them for 2–7 days or more, depending on the weather, then move them under cover to finish drying.

STORAGE:

Once dry, trim tops and roots and store in mesh onion bags or shallow boxes just above freezing at 60–70% humidity.

TRANSPLANTS:

On average, 1 oz. yields about 4,900 transplants and 1 lb. about 78,750.SEEDS/LB.: From 119,600 to 125,270, averaging 122,500.

PACKET:

250 seeds per packet, enough for about 12' or 140 transplants.