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Shallots Variety Selector: Which One For Your Garden

Every recommendation below traces back to our full Shallots varieties comparison — this page is the fast route to one answer for your specific situation, no clicking through required.

If: Cold spring, plants bolted instead of bulking up

Zebrune

Zebrune is bred specifically for bolt resistance: the RHS listing states "good resistance to bolting." It carries the AGM on RHS's general shallots page but not on its individual variety listing, which classifies it under the onion group rather than the shallot group the others belong to. Even so, a variety that's actually stopped bolting is worth more to a grower who's lost a crop to it than a clean award history is.

If: Damp summer, downy mildew took the crop

MeloineAGM

Meloine is the one named variety with a stated resistance to onion downy mildew: the RHS listing notes "some resistance to onion downy mildew." It holds the AGM with no cross-page discrepancy, making it the safer swap on paper where downy mildew is the bigger risk.

If: Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice

LongorAGM

Longor is the best all-rounder for most Scottish gardens: it holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit, produces up to eight bulbs per set, and stores well. It's the only one of the five with an AGM that holds up on its individual variety listing too, and it carries no disease-resistance question mark. Start there unless bolting or downy mildew has already cost you a crop.

Answer these as a quick wizard instead →
Shallots growing guide →Full Shallots varieties comparison →

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