[RsT]

Want to grow onions for pickling this year (on new allotment  )

Is there specific varieties for this and can they be planted in spring, or do you just grow normal onions and pick them small??

Whats the best variety (I like small and crunchy!)

Thanks in advance

[DD.]

Shallots are your "standard" pickled onion.

"Paris Silverskin" are also good, grow them straight from seed, direct into the plot, they just make small onions.

[davejg]

I think the variety for samall brown picklers was SY300 if anyone knows os of another i would like to know as well.

[solway cropper]

I've had success with Barletta grown from seed.

Personally I now prefer to eat raw onions rather than pickled and to that end I make late sowings of salad onions and keep tubs of them in the greenhouse over winter.

[DD.]

Is that because you get a row of seats to yourself at the cinema? 

[RsT]

Thanks for the advice, shallots added to list!

[bigben]

A couple of years ago I had left over maincrop onion sets and not enough ground to sow them all. I gave a full pack to a friend but planted about 50 left overs into around a square yard of ground and got a good crop of pickle size onions from it. If you have any normal onion sets left it might be worth a try.