What shallot multiplies best for you?

[bigoledude]

Before Hurricane Katrina, we grew a nameless shallot down here. It was delicious and multiplied like crazy. We ate the green portion and the bulb portion equally. The seed store cannot find anyone who had any that survived the flood. It seems as though this shallot that was grown here for over 100 years, has now disappeared.

I got some shallots and "Walking" onions from a guy online that were great. I was replanting the little bulbils and letting the mother plants multiply to grow my stock up. We ate very few of them. However, the teenage son of some migrant dry-wall workers got into my allium patch and pulled-up every plant! He was trying to sell them when the cops caught him. I will try again.

We always grew shallots by pulling a bunch, and replacing one plant back into the soil. My mother and I would just stick them back into the ground. My father would trim the roots a little with his pocket knife before replanting. We did this as far back as my 58 years can remember. I don't know one person down here in Cajun country who uses dry shallot bulbs to cook with!

I would love to buy some shallots, walking onions and garlic. If any of you have a recommendation for some varieties that perform well, please respond? If I must find a place online to buy some, which varieties are y'alls favorites? What shallots multiply best for you?

[oxbowfarm]

I'm really excited about the new shallot/potato onions that Kelly Winterton is breeding in Utah. He's out of stock right now though. I'd say you are going to have a hard time knowing for sure if you are getting a named variety that someone else recommends unless you get is straight from them, companies are pretty casual about shallots and potato onions in my experience. I'd ask around locally still and see if someone still has your fave shallot or for any others folks are growing, they'd be more likely to be used to the conditions down there.

[Leenstar]

I am currently growing 4 different alliums along the vein of what you are looking for. Up here in the midwest they aren't yet in the bulb forming stage and it won't be until fall that anyone is likely to have stock to share. What I have have been very small and not done that well in my soil but this will be the first year I got them in all in during the fall and really gave them a full season to grow. I can't speak for their multiplicity. I got lots of shallots from my french red varieity but they were small no more than an inch top to bottom. Same for my potato onions.

I got my one walking onion, one potato onion and one shallot all from direct contact with someone for the seed saver exchange. I had to pay them for their time. I have a different walking onion that appears to multiply more than the variety I got from the exchange member but i don't know its name. I was given to my folk by a neighbor and the name didn't make it through the gifting.

I don't any any to trade or offer since I am trying to expand my stock collection. You might have more luck asking late summer or fall once this spring stock has gone through its bulbil formation stage.

[mnjrutherford]

I executed my garlic (I think). But if I recover it, I'll keep you in mind and I'll be posting here as well. As for shallots... well... the ones I have are the cheapies I got from the feed & grain. Maybe yours will have them? Without any real experience all I can say is that mine do indeed multiply. I like what you say about pulling for use then replanting. I'll start doing that with mine.

Thanks! Hope I can return the favor some day!

[bvillebill]

Last year I started a bunch of Welsh onions from seed. They're multiplying onions that never make a big bulb but each of them must have divided into at least a dozen good sized green onions in just the first year. If you're looking for green onions to use year around they should do great for you.