Red Sun Shallot Sets: The Professional Standard for Home Growers

Shallot ‘Red Sun’ (Allium cepa Aggregatum Group) is the definitive choice for gardeners who demand both quantity and quality. As a recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), it has been officially recognised for its excellent growth habit and natural resistance to common garden pests. These sets produce beautiful, globe-shaped bulbs with attractive copper-red skins and a crisp, white flesh that offers a refined, subtle flavour.

Cultivation and Planting

For the most successful harvest, plant Red Sun shallots between February and April. While they can be planted as soon as the soil is workable, they thrive as the days begin to lengthen. Select a site in full sun with well-drained, fertile soil. Shallots prefer a firm soil structure; if your soil is particularly loose, we recommend treading it down lightly before planting to provide a stable base for the root systems.

Planting Instructions and Spacing

• Depth: Gently press the sets into the soil until only the very tip is visible. Do not bury them completely, as moisture sitting against the neck can encourage rot.
• Spacing: Allow 15cm to 20cm between sets and 30cm between rows. Shallots require more space than standard onions because each individual set will “split” into a generous cluster of several bulbs.
• Protection: To prevent birds from lifting the sets by their dry skins, ensure the soil is firmed well around each one during the planting process.

Harvest and Culinary Use

Red Sun is typically ready for harvest in July or August. You will know they are ready when the foliage begins to turn yellow and the clusters start to spread apart naturally. For the longest storage life, lift the clusters and separate the individual bulbs, then allow them to cure in a dry, airy place for two weeks until the skins are papery and the roots are brittle.

In the kitchen, Red Sun is incredibly versatile. Its mildness makes it perfect for raw use in dressings, while its firm texture ensures it holds its shape beautifully when pickled or roasted whole in stews and tarte tatins.

The Advantage of Scottish-Grown Sets

Our Red Sun sets are Scottish-grown, ensuring they have been raised in a climate that prepares them for the rigours of a UK spring. These sets possess a natural vigour and hardiness (rated H4) that often surpasses imported stock, leading to a more resilient crop and a significantly better success rate in your vegetable plot.

The Grown Local Verdict “If you only grow one variety of shallot, make it Red Sun. In our trial beds, it consistently outperforms almost every other round variety in terms of bulb uniformity and storage life. It handles a damp British spring better than most, rarely showing signs of bolting. A true kitchen essential.”