The Paris Silverskin onion from Mr Fothergill’s is a popular and quick-growing pickling onion—grow them, pickle them in a jar, and enjoy their tangy crunch all year round. These small, white onions grow well in almost any soil and mature in just 8-12 weeks. They work well in small gardens or containers, so you can still enjoy a tasty crop even if you don’t have much space. As for pickles, nothing is better with cheese on a cheeseboard, with chips, or just on their own. Easy to grow in sunny spots, these onion seeds bring you jar after jar of flavour in no time. For more seeds suitable for small spaces, take a look at our container garden seed collection. Or, for more easy-to-grow garden favourites, check out our collection of lettuce seeds and herb seeds instead.

How to Sow Seeds

Depth: 5mm
Growing notes: Sow your Paris Silverskin onion seeds all year round, 5mm (1/4”) deep, in rows 15cm (6”) apart. No thinning is necessary, but keep your onion plants well-watered, particularly in dry weather. They grow well in almost any soil but grow best in well-dug and manured ground. Paris Silverskin prefers a sunny position. Seedlings should emerge in 10-14 days.

For the best pickles, harvest your onions when they are the size of marbles. Peel them and place them in a bowl of brine (85g of salt to 475 ml of water) for 24 hours. Pour the brine away and rinse the onions thoroughly in cold water. Shake them dry, pack them tightly into clean jars, and cover them with cold, pickling white vinegar.

Make successive sowings every 4-6 weeks for a continuous supply of sweet, white pickling onions.

Growing Needs

Sunlight: Full sun

Plant Characteristics

Suitable for small spaces: Yes
Suitable for pots / containers: Yes
Easy to grow: Yes
Easy to Fast: Yes