Allium cepa (Aggregatum Group) 'Matador'

RHS Plant Profile
shallot 'Matador'
Award of Garden Merit
Herbs - Culinary Bulbs

A seed-raised shallot, producing one bulb per seed, with upright, tubular, hollow, bluish-green leaves. The bulbs are round, with crisp, white flesh and red-brown skin. This cultivar is high-yielding, ready for harvest in early to mid-autumn, and stores well

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0-0.1 metre

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0-0.1 metre
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H3

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Amaryllidaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus
Allium are bulbous herbaceous perennials with a strong onion or garlic scent, linear, strap-shaped or cylindrical basal leaves and star-shaped or bell-shaped flowers in an umbel on a leafless stem
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in free-draining, fertile soil in full sun. Keep well watered in dry periods but stop watering when bulbs are fully swollen. Harvest when foliage starts to turn yellow and flops over See Shallots (Grow your own)

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by onion sets. See how to grow: onions or sowing vegetable seeds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to stem and bulb eelworm, leek moth and onion fly

Diseases

May be susceptible to rusts, onion downy mildew and onion white rot