Over wintering onions. What, how and when?

[COMPOST CORNER]

Title says it all really. I have never grown anything other than a few leeks through the winter. I am now thinking about some over winter onions.
What type should I grow, and when do I need to start them, or have I already missed the boat?

[Paulottie]

Senshui yellow or Arctic... plant toward the Autumn equinox.... Harvest Summer solstice. OK?!

[HayleyB]

Onion sets will be available in the Autumn I over wintered Red, and Troys.

[hawthorns]

my over wintering red onions all bolted. i wont be doing them again. my radar yellow ones were superb.

[smallblueplanet]

... my radar yellow ones were superb.

seeds or sets? planted when?

[hawthorns]

sets planted in the autumn

[squashman]

Onion sets will be available in the Autumn I over wintered Red, and Troys.

Which variety of red onion did you plant? I haven't found a variety of red that is built for overwintering. I'll certainly do Senshyu's again, they were brilliant.

[HayleyB]

They were Red Cross, put in 08/10/08 pulled up today, cracking crop, just checked and it the Radars I pulled today. It is Troys that are still in.

Senshyus I used wet which were sown last year from seed.

See below the Radars and Red Crosses that came out today - dead chuffed
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[squashman]

I am not familiar with red cross, will check it out, thanks.

[zazen999]

One of my senshus is the biggest onion I have ever seen. It hasn't bolted. I am keeping this one for seed. This means that it might still be in the ground when the village show is on. I might have to enter it.

[bobleponge]

I overwintered white and red onions from sets, planted early November. They were lifted on the longest day by friends, who told me that "some of your white ones are of the highest quality. The red ones however are still very small."
Praise indeed from my gardening guru.
I cant remember the names of the ones I planted, but once I get home I will bump this thread with them.
I, also, cant find a decent red overwintering onion.

[Two_Sheds]

I sow sets every autumn ... they always bolt and I always say never again (sets).

I did Keepwell from seed once, and they were really good, but I've been unable to get seed since. I've just ordered Hi-Keeper, we'll see how they do.

[zazen999]

I'm sowing onions this week [and sowed a few 2 weeks ago], and will be sowing a handful every few weeks - to see if I can get a constant supply going....just another of my trials.

My autumn sown seeds are big enough now to eat - so my reckoning is that if I have them at various sizes in sandy beds for the winter, and I transplant them into final beds in the spring - they should be coming good around the same time as the sets - at a fraction of the cost.