Shallot "Charlotka"

Shallot "Charlotka" (Scallion) - Allium ascalonicum.
When propagated by seed, the onions are healthy and free from viral diseases often transmitted through vegetative sets.
It forms large, solid bulbs with a wonderful spicy-sweet taste.
For sowing 10 m2, 4.5-5.5 g of seeds are required.

* Shallot is a very useful and valuable type of onion, prized for its good yield, early maturity, high taste qualities, and ability to be stored for a long time at room temperature (it practically does not bolt).
It has many other names: multiplier onion, family onion, potato onion.
These names appeared because the shallot forms a large number of bulbs in one nest (cluster): they are smaller than regular onions but differ from their larger counterpart by a more exquisite taste and the ability to be stored in the house all winter without losing their marketable qualities. A braid of shallots can be hung right in the kitchen: it serves as decoration in winter, and the onion is always at hand.
Another important quality of the shallot is that its green feather is thinner and more tender, and does not become coarse throughout the entire growing season (and it appears much earlier than that of the bulb onion).
Shallots are highly valued in Western Europe and Scandinavian countries for their spicy-sweet taste and higher medicinal properties compared to regular onions.
There are many varieties of shallots: white, red, purple, yellow, brown, and the shape of the bulbs can be elongated, round, or flat-round, depending on the variety.
Before planting shallots, prepare the bed in advance. To grow large shallots (when propagating from bulbs), the mother bulb is divided into several parts. Cut off the top and cut into several parts along the "eyes". From 1 bulb, 3-8 planting units are obtained. Plant in early April in prepared furrows at a distance of 15-16 cm in the row and 30 cm between rows.
While the onions are growing, thin out the nests as needed. Where there are more than 3 bulbs in a nest, pull out one division at a time until 1-2 bulbs remain. This should be done carefully, holding the bulbs marked for further growth with your hand. The whole process of removing excess bulbs is gradual – if you need onions for cooking, pull as many as needed.
Usually, thinning begins more than 1.5 months after germination so that the onion begins to divide and easily separates from the common cluster. The remaining bulbs become very large by harvest time.
The best precursors for it are beans, peas, carrots, or potatoes. Compost is added to the bed - this technique allows you to do without additional chemical fertilizers.
To protect against onion fly, sprinkle the beds abundantly with ash.
Shallots love moisture and weed-free soil.
If suddenly the tops of the leaves begin to dry out and light stripes form on them, and there are small worms inside the feather, water the shallots with a salt solution (1 cup per 10 liters of water).
As soon as the leaves begin to lodge (fall over), stop watering. Shallots ripen earlier than bulb onions, so they can be grown in zones with a short growing season.
Unlike bulb onions, shallots can also be planted in autumn - just like winter garlic. Then they are ready for harvest 10-15 days earlier than with spring planting. When the leaves begin to dry, rake away the soil so that the bulbs are on the surface.
If the weather permits, dry the bulbs on the bed after harvesting. Finish drying under a canopy.

Gourmets love to use it instead of regular onions. The delicate taste of the green feather grown from this onion is also valued.
Peeling shallots can be difficult, but if you pour boiling water over them for a few minutes, the skin will come off very easily.