onions

Hi this is the first time I've grown onions from seed, there about 5/6 inches high now do I leave um out for the winter or put um in a cold green house and water them when needed.
then plant um out in feb/march.
Thanks Kitch

There japanese are you sure there all right to leave out, didn't know they were that hardy?

They are indeed winter hardy and can in fact be sown directly outside. It should have said this on the packet.

Most sources will say, however, that you get best results from sets, rather than seed, when it comes to winter onions.

Would it be a good idea to put some of them in my polytunnel to get early early onions.
Anyone tried this

I wouldn't have thought growing some in the polytunnel would do any harm but you may find that they don't bulb up any earlier than those outdoors as this is triggered by the number of daylight hours.  If we have a cold wet summer like this year, a polytunnel may even give better results than those outdoors.

They are indeed winter hardy and can in fact be sown directly outside. It should have said this on the packet.

Most sources will say, however, that you get best results from sets, rather than seed, when it comes to winter onions.

In 2010 I sowed seeds in late August and in October planted sets (I wasn't too sure about the seed as I'd never tried it before)  In November we had snow and ice for 6 weeks and I was so convinced that the seedlings outdoors could not have survived such arctic conditions.  After the thaw, I found many of the sets had been lifted up and toppled over by the action of the ice and had to be replanted, but the seedlings looked perfectly fine and no losses.  When the bulbs were ready for lifting in late June, both seemed to be of about the same size and quality and I couldn't really tell them apart.

 having set quite a few onion seed in modules in the greenhouse in late September they are now about two inches high so-wings of several varieties i have watered sparingly and are considering moving them to the polytunnel

i suppose there not going to grow to quick overwinter do i need to feed them now or leave the plants  till spring before planting out on the Lottie

also should i thin the plants out and re-pot the onion plants into bigger pots or leave them in the modules Ive sowed both bulb main crop and spring onions in modules