overwintering onions from seed

[The Mouse]

Hi
I know there's an existing topic on overwintering onions, but as my query relates specifically to onions from seed, I thought I'd better start a new thread.
About this time last year I sowed some overwintering onions, straight into the prepared bed I wanted to grow them on in. Germination was good. However, none grew more than two leaves before winter, and when spring came they just sat there, putting on hardly any growth. I ended up with a crop of marble-sized onions! I'm not sure what went wrong, as they weren't overcrowded and, in general, growing conditions seemed good over winter(my garlic loved the conditions).
I would like to try again this year in the hope of more success, but wonder if it would be better to start the seed off in modules. If I do, when should I transplant them - before or after winter?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[WigBag]

I sow into modules and 'protect' in an open cold frame until the new year. This year saw me lose a few more than normal but those that made it through the trials that were June July are good.
In comparison, the sets I put in in the spring had a large percentage loss to bolting.

[The Mouse]

How early in the new year should I plant them out, Wigbag?

[Beryl]

I would have thought it was a bit late for sowing over-wintering onions. June or July would have been better to get them established. Onion sets can be planted now. Some may run to seed but I usually get a good crop to use from Early May onwards.

Beryl.

[Johnboy]

Hi Caz,
May I enquire the variety of onion you planted that went wrong?
JB.

[WigBag]

I let the conditions dictate. This seasons were planted out in December, last season in January. I sow Golden bear and Bedford Champion.

[The Mouse]

Hi Caz,
May I enquire the variety of onion you planted that went wrong?
JB.

Sorry, Johnboy - for some reason I never wrote it in my notebook like I usually try to do. But they were specifically marketed as overwintering onions, and I remember from the picture on the packet that they were not meant to end up marble-size!

[The Mouse]

Beryl
I think you might be right - that would explain why they didn't put on enough growth early on. But I followed the instructions on the packet (often a mistake) and sowed in September.
Trouble is, if you are right, I've left it too late for this year now!

[Geoff]

I've grown Senshyu Yellow. My diary for 2006 is incomplete (I keep missing recording things later in the year!) but I think I sowed them in situ sometime in September. I lost a lot in the Winter but what I harvested in 2007 were quite good and tempted me to persevere. I grow all my maincrop onions from seed in clumps a foot apart created by sowing 5 or 6 seeds in 70mm square flimsy pots then planting the potful undisturbed. I sowed the Senshyu Yellow this way on 31.08.07 in my plastic roofed shed and planted them out on 20.09.07. Again I had quite high Winter losses but got a nice few early onions but of quite variable size. Like Caz the garlic alongside them did really well. I concluded that they don't like growing in clumps as the better ones were where I lost more from the clump. This year I have sown them in the same way on 17th August in a cold frame. They are not germinating brilliantly but my intention was to try and get bigger plants before the Winter. I intend to plant at least some of them as individual plants to compare the yield. I haven't decided yet whether to try protection to reduce losses. I would be interested to know how other people get on with these.
Some of the other posts seem to be talking about growing standard maincrop onions like Bedfordshire Champion over Winter rather than Autumn sowing varieties that mature early. Does anybody else do this?