Shallots: An Easily Grown Crop in Home Gardens

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 85, Issue 2, 15 August 1952, Page 125

Shallots: An Easily Grown Crop in Home Gardens

By

A. G. KENNELLY,

Horticultural Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin

THE shallot (Allium ascalonicum), a member of the onion family, is rarely grown commercially in New Zealand, but deserves to be grown more widely by home gardeners because it is easy to raise, requires very little attention, has a milder flavour than most varieties of onion, and under any but the poorest conditions it yields well.

THE shallot is a hardy perennial which as it grows sends up numerous fine, hollow, awl-shaped leaves 8 to 15in. long. «It seldom produces seed and is usually perpetuated by replanting the bulbs or offsets which are produced in clusters on the soil surface. There are several selections or varieties of shallots in commerce which differ in size and colour of bulb, but the commonest type has a bulb about the thickness of a walnut or a little thicker, is pear shaped, about 2in. long, narrowed in the upper part into a rather long point, and is. enclosed in a tough skin russet coloured, often coppery red toward the base, and usually wrinkled lengthwise. Under the outer skin the bulb is greenish at the base shading to grey or even purple at the top. Among the larger kinds of shallot which have been much improved by selection are those known as the Russian shallot (syn. Large Brown, Large Red) and the Jersey shallot, the bulbs of which may grow up to 2in. in diameter and weigh several ounces. Named varieties of shallot are not generally available in New Zealand and obtaining the better varieties is usually a matter of chance or selection. In the simplicity of its culture, its vigour, yield, and freedom from disease the • shallot compares favourably with the commercial onion. Its only disadvantage is its smaller bulb. Its common name, shallot, dissociates it in the minds of many from other members of the onion family and often prejudices its use in place of the onion, yet apart from its characteristic habit of growth the shallot is readily confused by most people with smaller

specimens of many varieties of onion, and the less common varieties of onion such as the multiplier or potato onion (A. cepa var. multiplicans Bailey) are occasionally grown under the misapprehension that they are shallots, some varieties of which multiplier onions closely resemble. Though botanically, and in this article, shallot is used ’as the common name of the plant Allium ascalonicum and its varieties, overseas the word shallot is used to some extent as a common or vernacular name to describe several different but closely related plants. Soil and Manure Shallots succeed in almost any garden soil, but prefer a well-drained, fertile soil rich in well-rotted organic matter. Heavy clay soils that dry out excessively or are poorly drained are least likely to give good results. Manurial requirements are moderate and shallots grow well in soils that were heavily manured for a previous crop. Where additional fertiliser is needed a dressing of equal parts of blood and bone and superphosphate applied at. 2 to 4oz. to the square yard, according to the fertility of the soil, will usually give good results. In districts of average to high rainfall growth in most soils not recently limed is likely to be improved by carbonate of lime at 3 to 4oz. to the square yard, preferably well worked in some time before planting. To avoid j the build-up of disease crop rotation should be practised. Shallots should not follow other members of the onion family.

Planting Traditionally shallots should be planted on the shortest day and harvested on the longest, but if soil conditions are favourable, they can be planted any time from late autumn until early spring. The keeping quality of different varieties varies. Some start growing much earlier than others, and if held out of the ground, should be planted before they exhaust themselves producing leaves, though usually under good conditions even specimens that have become very wizened will produce a good crop. Soil should. be cultivated to a fine, friable tilth and firmed. The rows should be marked or drills drawn and the bulbs or cloves, graded to size, should be pressed far enough into the ground to stabilise them, usually Jin., though deeper planting, even up to the neck, .is sometimes preferred. Bulbs should be set 5 to Bin. apart, according to the vigour of the variety, in rows not less than 12in. apart. They soon develop roots and as they grow divide into a number of cloves or offsets which remain attached at the base. There 'is little advantage in planting large bulbs unless a great number of small cloves are wanted. Medium to small, though not excessively small, bulbs do not generally yield as heavily as large bulbs, but they usually yield more large bulbs. Shallots can be grown from seed sown in spring as onions are. Seed has not been noticed listed in local catalogues, though it is listed in some from overseas. Such seed, however, is rarely that of the true shallot. Usually it is seed of a small variety of onion, which if left in the ground, goes to seed as other onions do.

After establishment . shallots should need no other attention than weeding; if the soil becomes compacted, and aeration is restricted, cultivation may also be required. = Harvesting and storing In January or February, according to district, the foliage usually dies back and the bulbs can be harvested. ff Ul conditioi?s are°unfavourable a for ta yi a g outdoors ventilated be nlaced ?n Y a g drv well ventilated situation Sider co?er. Care should be taken to avoid . sun scorch, which may damage the basal parts of the bulbs. When dry, bulbs should be separated from their clumps, cleaned o- soil by rubbing, and sorted. Damaged bulbs should be removed and the remainder stored according to size m shallow layers m slatted trays or on fine wire . netting in dark, well-ventilated storage. Unless storage conditions are very good and examination regular, it is not advisable to remove the dried leaves and loose, papery outer skin, because that material cushions -the bulbs in handling, and if they are dry, tends to arrest the spread of rots by forming a barrier of inert material through which air can circulate.

Shallots are in demand mostly for pickling, for which they are particularly suited by virtue of their size, flesh texture, and mild flavour. In addition they can be used in soups, stews, and salads. Their green leaves may be used in sandwic hes or salads as are those of spring onions or chives, Pests and Diseases Shallots are troubled by few pests and diseases. Those listed below occasionally cause damage, though shallots "'Lnt’thirt ofoon^are 7 them to the extent that onions are. Thrips (Thrips tabaci Lind) Thrips cause bleaching or silvering o f the leaves by rasping the leaf surface and sucking the exuding sap, thus weakening the plant by deprivjng of part of its power to manufacture plant foods. Thrips are minute, cigar-shaped, yellow or dark-brown insects usually about l/25in. long, They can be controlled by D.D.T. applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions or. by H.E.T.P. at jj n 800 (1 fl. ozo 5 gallons of water), . , , Aphides (Aphis spp.) Aphides (“greenfly”) rarely trouble shallots except in store, where they

occasionally infest the young shoots emerging from the bulbs. They can readily be controlled by spraying with nicotine sulphate or H.E.T.P. at 1 in 800. A little soap should be dissolved in the water if nicotine sulphate is used, and for the maximum effectiveness of that spray the air temperature should not be lower than 70 degrees F. Bottom Rot or White Rot (Sclerotium cepivorum Berk) Bottom rot is occasionally troublesome, usually where the crop has been grown on the same soil consecutively for several seasons. It is a fungous disease and can first be recognised by a stunting and yellowing of the leaves and a white or grey fungous growth at the base of . the bulb. - Later small black resting bodies about as big as a pin’s head develop on the area covered by the fungus. The resting bodies may remain in the soil for many years. Control consists of long rotations of non-susceptible crops and the destruction of affected rubbish. Neck Rot (Botrytis spp.) The fungous disease neck rot is a much less serious disease of shallots than of onions, but in wet seasons or where the shallot bulbs are not properly dried before storing there may be some loss. The disease usually enters through damaged tissue on the neck of the bulb, spreading downward until the bulb collapses. The most effective control is crop rotation, the destruction of affected rubbish, care in handling at harvest, and ensuring that the tissues at the neck of the bulb are dry before the bulb is stored. Yellow Dwarf (Allium) Virus 1 Smith) Several years ago the; culture of shallots was forbidden in the Canterbury onion-growing area of Marshland, as it was shown that the virus disease yellow dwarf overwintered in them. This serious disease of shallots and onions stunts affected plants and causes the leaves to crinkle, droop, and turn yellow. Control consists of destroying affected plants and the insect vectors, mainly aphides, which spread the disease. Smut (Urocystis cepulae Frost)

Smut is another destructive disease of onions and shallots confined to Marshland. It is a soil-borne fungous disease affecting young plants by causing dark lead-coloured stripes on the leaves (and later on the bud scales) which finally burst open and expose masses of black powdery spores which may remain in the soil for many years. Commercially the disease is controlled by using formalin in the seed rows. That may be necessary in the home garden, but while the affected area is limited the first essential ’in most gardens will be to avoid introducing the disease by examining all susceptible stock such as leeks, chives, garlic, onions, and shallots brought in and destroying it if infected.

Smut should not be confused with the fungous disease black mould (Aspergillus niger Tiech.), which is usually of minor importance, though it may cause some loss in bulbs stored in excessively damp conditions. On bulbs it can be distinguished from smut by the fact that the black powdery masses of spores are on the exterior of the scales and can be rubbed off easily, whereas bulbs affected by onion smut have oblong or linear black lesions near the base, usually as deep as the third or fourth scale.

Portable Stand for Grafting and Budding Equipment

By

R. I. JUNE,

Horticultural Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Hastings

WITH material usually available on an orchard construction of this handy stand that is useful for both budding and grafting is the work of a few minutes. The time taken in constructing the stand is soon offset in speeding up work in the orchard. Considerable time can be lost in bending to pick up equipment from the ground each time something is wanted or in looking for tools in grass and weeds. Equipment is liable to be left behind in moving from one tree to another or it may be lost. By the use of a stand all requirements are kept in a convenient position.

Scions can be kept covered with a damp sack or cloth placed on the bottom of the tray and folded over to prevent exposure. Moist sphagnum moss can be placed in the bottom of a compartment to hold a few scions ready cut to the desired length. Compartments can be made to suit individual requirements, but one side should be left full length to hold bud wood or scions. The dimensions of the stand illustrated are: Height 22in., length 21in., width 15in., depth of tray 3in., height of handle above tray 6in. The stand may be conveniently stored between seasons. Heading photograph by R. W. Orr.