Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a hero in both the kitchen and the garden. It is easy and fast to grow indoors to add a slight nutty taste to salads or sandwiches.
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Shallots can be grown from seed or 'sets' (small dried bulbs).
They're a versatile ingredient that adds real depth and complexity to your dishes. Shallots aren't as overpowering as onions; the sweetly subtle flavour profile is great for soup, stews, salad, stir fries and sauces, or just for lush, aromatic garnish.
Best of all, shallots are drought tolerant, space saving and easy to grow.
How to grow shallots in a garden
- Choose a sunny or part-shaded spot in your garden, with well-drained soil. Enrich with Yates® Thrive® Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed.
- If growing from seed, sow in rows, direct where they are to grow, or in seed trays of Yates® Black Magic® Seed Raising Mix. Firm down and keep moist. Thin out seedlings to 10cm apart, when large enough to handle.
- If growing from sets (dried bulbs), plant them direct, 5 - 7 cm deep and water them in well.
- Don't water again until seedlings emerge, then feed seedlings weekly with Yates® Thrive® Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate.
- Harvest by cutting the green leaves above the white stem – this also encourages leafier growth. Replant successive crops every 3 - 4 weeks to extend your harvest window.
- Harvest in midsummer, when the leaves have withered back to the neck of the bulb, and leave shallots lying on the soil for a couple of days to dry out.
- Store shallots in netting bags or tied into strings in a cool, airy place.
How to grow shallots in a pot
- Choose a pot at least 300 mm wide and deep and position in a sunny or part-shaded spot. Fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates® Premium Potting Mix.
- Plant the sets direct 5 – 7 cm deep and spaced at 15 – 25cm.
- Don't water until seedlings emerge, feed weekly with Yates® Thrive® Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate.
- Harvest by cutting the green leaves above the white stem – this also encourages leafier growth. Replant successive crops every 3 - 4 weeks to extend your harvest window.
- Harvest in midsummer, when the leaves have withered back to the neck of the bulb, and leave shallots lying on the soil for a couple of days to dry out.
- Store shallots in netting bags or tied into strings in a cool, airy place.
Growing tips
- As plants and ‘daughter’ bulbs develop, push soil around them to blanch the stems.
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Recommended products
Shallots 'Ambition'
Abundant, small coppery-red teardrop shaped bulbs. Shallots are like an elegant, cultured cousin to onions - with a more subtle flavour and sweetness, especially when caramelised.
Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate
A complete plant food enriched with natural fish, seaweed, humates, molasses and more - boosted with NPK to improve plant and soil vitality.
Yates Premium Potting Mix
A premium potting mix, ideal for all potted plants and shrubs, including ornamentals, fruit trees, vegies and herbs.
Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed
A certified organic garden input boosted with NZ Seaweed to gently nourish plants, enrich the soil and encourage a strong healthy root system.
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