About
Allium cepa (Aggregatum Group) 'Matador' is a seed-grown shallot that develops a single bulb from each seed. It features upright, tubular leaves that are hollow and have a bluish-green hue. The bulbs are rounded, showcasing firm, white flesh encased in a reddish-brown skin. This variety offers high yields and is typically ready for harvest in early to mid-autumn, with good storage capabilities.
About the genus
Allium consists of bulbous herbaceous perennials characterized by a pronounced onion or garlic aroma. They feature linear, strap-like, or cylindrical leaves that arise from the base. The flowers, which can be star-shaped or bell-shaped, are arranged in an umbel atop a stem that lacks leaves.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbs - Culinary, Bulbs
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0-0.1 metre
- Time to full height
- 1 year
Care notes
- 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)
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed or by onion sets. See how to grow: onions or sowing vegetable seeds
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to stem and bulb eelworm, leek moth and onion fly
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to rusts, onion downy mildew and onion white rot