On one of those few occasions when I went to the nearby shop to stock up on food and stuff, I saw that they had some nice-looking shallots…
They’re real ones, the lady owner said – “chin chin air chang kia“, in Hokkien so of course, I grabbed two packs of them and took them home.
Not too long ago, we had a problem getting hold of these, the ones from India, my missus said – there was none available in town. Eventually, some appeared in the shops but those were from other countries, probably Indonesia or China, in different shades and shapes and even though they were all right for cooking, I could not plant them for the spring onions.
We did not have to buy from the market for years and years as the ones I planted grew so very well…
…and I kept replacing the ones I harvested with new bulbs of shallots so there was a never ending supply.
Unfortunately, when those ran out and I replaced them with those shallots from the other countries, they did sprout but what came out was thin and withered before it could grow much bigger…
I dug it out and saw that it sprouted roots…
…lots of them but unfortunately, most that I planted did not produce leaves. That was why I was quite jealous when I saw Phong Hong showing off her spring onions. LOL!!!
Well, I got rid of all of them, turned the soil in the pot thoroughly and added some organic compost before planting those “real” shallots. After around 4-5 days, less than a week, some of them started sprouting…
Fingers crossed, I shall have my regular supply of spring onions again soon.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Yes, at one time short of shallots and so expensive. I can assure you that with the organic compost, the “real” shallots will grow beautifully.
Been a number of days now since I wrote this post and yes, they are growing beautifully!
I have run out of shallots. Need to buy soon. Good luck with your spring onions!
So far so good, getting taller and taller!
wargh this makes me wanna plant mine too, great idea! Thanks.
Best to plant one’s own. We buy RM2 for a whole lot and barely use a quarter…and the rest will not keep very long in the fridge. In the end, all thrown away, such a waste. This way, can go out and pluck as and when needed.
Must buy those shallots from indian mama shop, nicer and better.
Yes, my missus says the ones from India are better.