Allium cepa aggregatum group Seeds | Dutch Shallot
LATIN NAME: Allium cepa aggregatum group
COMMON NAME: Shallot
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Shallot, Allium cepa aggregatum group is a noteworthy species in the onion family. Shallot forms its clusters of small, copper-skinned bulbs, and round, white flower heads rise on hollow stems. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, moist, rich ground. Together these qualities explain its long-standing appeal to gardeners.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Allium cepa aggregatum group, a representative of the onion family with clear practical value. For practical purposes the message is encouraging: generations of cultivation have produced plants of predictable, well-mannered garden character.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Shallot has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Shallot is a fine, historic plant of kitchen garden. Give young plants deep, moist bed, and clusters of small bulbs will come in the first season. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.
The onion family is one of the great medicinal plant groups: garlic, onions, leeks and their kin supply sulfur compounds such as allicin that have been studied extensively for cardiovascular and antimicrobial effects. Regular allium consumption is associated with several benefits in population studies, and garlic remains one of the world’s best-selling herbal supplements.
Growing from Seed
Starting Shallot from seed is simple and satisfying. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Shallot settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Fresh seed sown into evenly moist compost is most of the battle won.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Shallot often pair it with these related subjects: