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Autumn Planting Onions & Shallots

Autumn planting onion sets are an easy way to get your onions started. With a mix of colours and sizes available at Suttons, it’s easy to choose the right variety for pickling, for showing, and for frying. Alongside your autumn onions, choose autumn planting shallots for their fantastic sweetness. Autumn onion and shallots are a great way to keep the garden productive over the winter months, providing a harvest in early summer. Plant late season potatoes along with your onions and shallots in autumn for tasty roasties at Christmas.

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Autumn shallots and onions info & FAQs

The onion family is one of the most widely used in the kitchen and onion sets are an easy addition to your vegetable garden with different varieties varying in flavour intensity, and some having resistance to disease or bolting.

When to plant autumn onions and shallots

Plant your autumn varieties from October. Spring planting onions and shallots are planted in March and April.

How to plant onions and shallots in autumn

Choose a sunny, well-drained site but avoid planting in the same ground two years running to help reduce disease. If your soil is acid, add some garden lime.

Onion sets should be planted every 10cm in rows that are 40cm apart with the tips of the set showing just above the ground. Firm the soil around them.

Shallot sets are planted 25cm apart, with 30cm between rows, again with the tip just showing.

Keep them weed-free and feed with a onion fertiliser in early spring.

What are good companion plants for autumn onions and shallots?

Growing onions and shallots with carrots can help to deter carrot root fly. Onions and shallots also grow well with tomatoes and cabbage. Avoid peas and beans, and other members of the onion family such as garlic or leeks to avoid the spread of pests.

Find out more about how to grow autumn planting onions and shallots with our onion growing guide and learn how to grow shallots here.