When to Plant Shallots
Shallots are a hardy cool-season vegetable. They can take a hard frost.
Plant them out 1 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost. The first harvest comes about 90 to 120 days after planting.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | Feb 15 – Mar 8 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Apr 17 – May 8 |
| Harvest | May 16 – 30 | Jun 16 – 30 | Jul 16 – 30 |
Growing shallots
Each set multiplies into a cluster of bulbs; in mild-winter areas sets can also go in during autumn.
- Spacing: 6 in apart, in rows 12 in apart. In a raised bed, 4 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 90 to 120 from planting, then about 2 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: shallots are in the onion family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: beet, bell pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cherry tomato, collards, head lettuce, hot pepper, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, tomato. See companion plants for shallots.
- Usually kept apart from: bush bean, pea (shelling/snap/snow), pole bean.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant shallots and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can shallots go in before the last frost?
Yes. Shallots are hardy: plant them out 1 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost.
How long do shallots take to grow?
About 90 to 120 days from planting to the first harvest, which then lasts about 2 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Vegetable Planting and Harvesting Times (chart, central Iowa)
- Iowa State: The Other Onions
- Cornell Cooperative Extension, Rockland County: Vegetable Planting Guide (Hort 52)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- SDSU Extension: Square-Foot Garden Sample Planting Layout (P-00379, 2026)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)