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You are here: Home / Garden / How Not to Plant Shallots

How Not to Plant Shallots

March 20, 2010

Ignore that picture, as there is nothing wrong with it.

What I should have done is take a picture of the date next to the cute little rows off pointy-headed bulbs. Because that would be more appropriate with the title of this post.

You see, I am approximately 4.5 months late planting my shallots. I know that I have mentioned my ‘to-do list’ strategy, right? The one where I keep a running list of what I need to do in the next day or two? I’ll go a step further. This is the actual list:

Followed by excerpts from the next two months of lists:

…where you will note that an empty circle is an unfinished task. As we progress from October to December — when the ground is frozen solid — I finally gave up and scratched “Plant Shallots” out and off the list forever. Until I rediscovered the bag of bulbs in the garage yesterday…

Funny, though, as I look back on these lists, the other things I have forgotten to do… A client’s thing… My Mom’s photo mug… Another client thing… And that damn Greenhouse Motor. Which you will be happy to know that I finally figured out how to detach, pack up and send off for repair. I finally crossed it off my list.

Yesterday.

On 3/17/2010.

A full five months and ten days after it was first written down on 10/7/2009 (see above).

So anyway, the shallots. The truth is, I simply didn’t get them in the ground before it froze last fall. Then I rationalized that, since the directions that came on the package said, “Plant shallots in the ground immediately upon delivery in all but the coldest northern regions.”

That’s not that far of a stretch, is it? We’re pretty damn cold and pretty far north. Still, I think given that we plant garlic in the fall, the shallots should have gone into the ground with them.

So I planted them yesterday. Which is not the correct way, but I’m crossing my fingers that 1) the bulbs are still viable, and 2) the bulbs will grow. We shall wait and we shall see. They will be in for plenty of wild weather, but they would have gotten that if they went in the ground last fall, too.

Now: do you think I should gamble and plant these, since I decided not to cook them and serve them to Dave?

I think I should. Please chime in.

Filed Under: Garden Tagged With: zone 4, garden, how to, Minnesota, how not to, shallots, plant

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Comments

  1. merry jennifer says

    March 20, 2010 at 2:17 pm

    Yes – plant! If it works, great. If not, you’ll get another great blog post out of the experience that will have me laughing again.

    Love your lists. I’m a list person, but mine aren’t nearly as organized as yours. That looks like a Circa notebook from Levenger, right? Love those.

  2. admin says

    March 20, 2010 at 2:22 pm

    yes! circa notebook! At least 12 years old now and I LOVE it. I even have the circa paper punch. I use a larger one for my garden notes. 🙂
    Organized LOOKING, maybe. Procrastinator, no question.

  3. Nat Alea from OK says

    March 22, 2010 at 12:09 pm

    Wow! I’m amazed that you hadn’t thrown them away!!!! PLEASE plant them just becauase I want to see if they will grow, then won’t you be proud of yourself for hanging onto them.

  4. Pamela says

    March 24, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    I am so loving your lists.
    Your not kidding about the 6″ sprouts on the taters you twittered about. I think they’ll take off!
    Today it is raining out and very very gloomy – just what we needed after the 8 incher of heavy snow last weekend. All the snow is definitely gone now.
    Were hoping to get the carrots planted this week if we can work the soil after all this moisture. I think though I’ll be planting till I turn blue in the face – we have a little seed left over from last year and yesterday my hubby picked up more at our local nursery…instead of just a couple packs he had the guy measure out an OUNCE. Do you know how many seeds are in a OUNCE!!!!!! And I’ll be using that handy planter my hubby designed last year posted on my blog to evenly plant the seeds so we can hopefully avoid thinning.

  5. Pamela says

    March 24, 2010 at 12:22 pm

    P.S. I think we’ll be feeding the COUNTY carrots – LOL!

Trackbacks

  1. Shallots are In! …I Mean Out! | Jenmenke.com says:
    July 27, 2010 at 7:35 am

    […] the way, if you’ve been following along (and I only just remembered this now), I forgot to plant these last fall and was worried they wouldn’t grow. Obviously, I was wrong. They are just fine. And given the […]

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Jen menke

I’m a mostly-retired, pretend graphics and web developer (but don’t judge my skillz by THIS site!). We sold our dream home in Watertown, MN and downsized to a “Villa” in Excelsior, MN and built a home in our dream location of Eagle, CO and now split our time between the two states. It is truly a dichotomous life of absentee gardening and getting together with friends & family while in MN and playing hard and hermitting while in CO. I’ve let the blog go but a trip to Alaska has me resurrecting the Road Warriors series. My beloved brother is my biggest fan and I am doing this just for him.

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