Green Thumbs Club alert! -- planting shallots

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It's starting to look like spring might come in zone 3, although snow is predicted for tomorrow or monday. I was out checking the raised beds to see how things had fared over the winter (now that they're not just higher lumps of snow) and see the top of my little Egyptian walking onion poking up. The chives aren't even up yet, but the daylilies are putting their noses out.

So I bought shallot sets, and I am wondering if this is too early to put them out. I thought that if they spent their time acclimating and developing roots, they'd get a jump on the season, since our summers are so short. Am I jumping the gun? We still have unmelted snow drifts on the ground, but I heard spring peepers the other night and I've been seeing frogs out on the roads.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), April 14, 2001

Answers

Too Early. I'm in Zone 4 and I'll wait until May 15 here. I have found shallots to be a little less hardy then onions.

-- David in NH (grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com), April 14, 2001.

HEY!... I'm a PLANT FANATIC! Can someone put me on the Green Thumb Alert? I'm in Missouri (Zone 5) I planted my shallots last week and they're up about 2 1/2 inches now. Dying to get my hands filthy!...

-- Donna M. Davis-Prusik (Seven9erkilo@knoxcomm.net), April 16, 2001.

I planted my shallots (also garlic and potato onions) about two weeks ago and they've started to grow...doing great. I live in central Illinois, zone 5. Usually I try to get all these things planted in the fall...before Thanksgiving. A few may not survive but most will live and get off to a very early start making very large bulbs. Last fall winter came early and that was one job I didn't do, but if I have to plant in the spring I believe the earlier the better is best.

-- Eleanor Shulman (ekshulman@webtv.net), April 17, 2001.

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