February marks return to the vegetable patch. January's frost, combined with the marked thaw of recent days, has given the soil an ideal texture. Pure bliss! It almost feels like spring and first plantings can finally begin. For us, garlic, onion and shallot lead the way… planting them is so easy you simply choose varieties!
Garlic, onion, shallot
Garlic, onion, shallot: choose the right variety before ordering
These three bulb vegetables, all members of the Allium family, come in a very large number of varieties. Of various colours and shapes, they also differ in their planting period: autumn or spring. Choice is mainly based on this criterion.
So let's look at varieties that can be planted from today in mild climates and, elsewhere, up to March/April.
Garlic
In spring, favour pink garlic. Said to be slightly less productive than autumn varieties, it has the advantage of keeping longer. Flavor, Printanor, Gayant, Arno … all these varieties keep well, even very well!
Alongside common garlic (Allium sativum), mention also a very interesting perennial or "perpetual" species that establishes itself once and for all, or almost: bear's garlic (Allium ursinum). It grows in shade or partial shade and naturalises easily where conditions suit. It bears large narrow leaves and, from April to June, a charming display of white umbels. It's both a culinary and medicinal plant. Everything is edible: bulb, flower buds and leaves!
Bear's garlic: a perennial variety that naturalises
Onion: white, red or yellow
White, yellow, pink or red, onions come in a riot of colours…
Like garlic, onion can be planted in autumn. I never do, though, because in my heavy soil rot would be certain. And this year's sub-zero temperatures early in the year have confirmed my caution!
Here we grow three types:
- small white onions which, harvested early as baby onions, pair wonderfully with first late-spring salads,
- red onion Red Karmen to brighten summer salads,
- yellow onion Paille des Vertus, with white flesh, which we eat year-round because it keeps very well.
For a perennial option, why not try the rocambole onion (Allium cepa proliferum) ? It's a charming old-fashioned vegetable, a little bit eccentric, which bears pretty bulbils at the top of its flowering stem. Its leaves are also eaten.
Red onions, white onion and rocambole onion
Shallot
Long, semi-long or round, once again choices are many! The grey shallot is for autumn planting while the pink shallot is planted in late winter/early spring. We like the late variety Jermor… but if you want an earlier variety, go for Longor. Both keep very well!
Where and how to plant them?
Garlic, onion and shallot are grown in the same way. They prefer full sun, in well-drained soil that is not too rich (do not add compost beforehand!), and that does not retain water. If drainage is poor, plant them on a raised bed to avoid any risk of rot that would affect storage. Finally, if you only have a balcony or terrace for your vegetable garden, these three vegetables can also be grown in planters or pots!
Planting is very easy; you will find all useful information in our Guide: "Planting garlic, shallot and onion".
But for us, no fuss — we plant them with our thumbs… after all, we're not going to deny ourselves the pleasure of getting our hands back in the soil!
Comments