When to sow Shallot in the UK
Shallot is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Shallot is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| South Coast and Channel | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| South East and Home Counties | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| East Anglia | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| Wales and West Coast | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| Northern England | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| Northern Ireland | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late January to early May | late January to late March | early July to late August |
Growing notes
Push sets in from late winter to early spring, 15-20cm apart, and each one splits into a cluster of bulbs ready in mid to late summer. Some varieties can also be planted in autumn on free-draining soil, and seed-raised shallots are sown February to May.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 18 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 28 cm
- Plants per m²
- 20
- Days to maturity
- 150 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.3 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 20 cm
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- onion white rot
- allium leaf miner
- leek rust
- bolting after a cold spell
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for shallot.