October is garlic planting time, but there are other onion family plants that can be sown in fall as well. Come the mid- to- end of October consider planting shallots and walking onions.
You probably have heard of shallots and perhaps used them in French recipes. The French love shallots for their sweet, mild, onion flavor. Shallots come in a few different types. The red skinned and pink fleshed, torpedo-shaped shallot is called the French shallot. The Dutch shallot features a round, small, onion shape with tan-colored skin and white flesh. Dutch shallots store a long time indoors. These two types of shallots are probably the most popular. The French Gray shallot isn't as pretty to look at as the other types, but has a stronger flavor and is a favorite in many recipes. Plant shallots the same way and time as you would plant garlic. You'll have an early crop to harvest in spring. I always plant again in spring for a fall crop.
Walking or Egyptian onions are an oddity. This perennial onion sends up tender shoots in spring. I love them as green onions because they emerge so early. By summer the shoots form top sets of bulbs that get so heavy they bend the stem to the ground. Wherever the top set onion lands, it roots. Hence the name, walking onion. The onion bulbs can be eaten, too, but they are pretty small. Although it's cool to have a perennial onion, watch where you plant it. It can spread and take over. I seem to be constantly pulling out errant plants in our garden.
