Gardening tips for July: Harvest shallots

Pleasingly early, shallots can be harvested now and hung in nets to dry

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Shallots planted
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Of all the onion tribe, shallots take us pleasantly by surprise each year by ripening early in the season. Once the foliage has turned tawny and subsided, gently tug the clumps out of the ground to begin the drying process necessary for ripening. Then, bring them under cover so that air can circulate and the afternoon sun can get at them. In time, rub the soil off the roots, pull the individual bulbs apart and settle down to a quiet evening cutting off the top growth and hanging the finished product up in nets, or, more admirably, stringing them with raffia.

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Country Life
Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.

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