We have way too much cold weather yet to come to be planting onions now, from seeds or otherwise. Exposure to temps below 45 for more than a few days will trigger a bolting response in many bulbing varieties. In addition, seed-sown onions need warmer soil temps and advance planning for weed control. Organically, you'd pretty much need a flamer to prepare a stale bed.

I can direct-sow Japanese bunching onions in the fall, but in spring the soil is way too cold and weedy. I start all my onions indoors starting in late Jan and continuing until early March, set them out in April.

Thanks planatus, just trying not to tie up my good window.The weathers been really nice, my garlic has been growing for a couple weeks, I heard geese flying, so it won't be to long now.

Ah, so you may eventually please yourself to no end by buying a florescent plant light. An inexpensive two-bulb model from a box store will work, and if it's securely hung or otherwise installed, you can place new seedling flats on top of it and they get bottom heat.

Amazon has some lights as well.

For $50 a 2 footer: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-2-Foot-Start-Light-System/dp/B0006856EQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1330349883&sr=8-5

For $60 a 4 footer: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-4-Foot-Start-Light-System/dp/B0001XLSGQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330349883&sr=8-3

I used Christmas lights and plain old fluorescent lights last year for my peppers, they worked out great set close to the plants.

This year I am starting onions from seed indoors with bottom heat in a sunny window, in gallon water jugs. Apparently they are easy to harden off, as they can take cool weather.

I started my seeds in the house, in a few ground turkey containers from walmart. I also put a few seeds outside just to see what happens.You know what they say, "Nothing ventured nothing gained".

Well, jzaleski, I just cannot be taught! Weather channel says it won't drop below 47F (night lows) for at least the next week. It's the warmest winter in decades. My onions have been under lights for 2 months (broccoli for 1 month). They all have been going outside on the sunny afternoons for 5 hours/day for weeks now. Today, 03-11, I go for it in zone 5. Maybe I'm nuts, but I'm having fun!

I have read that with onion seed you will get close to 100 percent germination with seed temps in the 30's. But it will take a long time. So you have nothing to lose but a little seed and space. I would suggest green onions/bunching onions like Evergreen. They are about foolproof and can be grown and harvested year round.

claydirt, how long do you keep your lights on? I read some people say you can keep them on 24 hours, would that screw them up though, I woud'nt want them to go into seed.

The lights are on a timer about 18 hours/day. I think 16 to 18 hours seems to keeps plants from getting 'leggy'. The lights go off when it is dark outside (maybe 11pm to 5am or so). I have 2 sets of 4' lights. One pair is at the blue end of the light spectrum , one pair is at the yellow end of the spectrum. Plants have not gone to seed on me.

The onions and broccoli did get put out into the garden on the 11th. They looked fine this evening. It's been windy today. (I have a slow fan on them from across the room, maybe 4 or 5 hours a day, to toughen them up before they move outside for good. It's not on a timer.)

Weather channel says 45F for a low now for the next week. The peppers and tomatoes are starting to germinate inside now that I have more room.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grow Lights

03-11 the plants went into the ground. Today is 03-18, all is well. Weather channel says it should dip to 38F on 03-25. I think that should be ok for cool weather crops. It's starting to look like I won't need any frost protection until April, if ever. Whooo-Haaa!

Small discovery: It looks like Grape Hyacinths are monocotyledons. They look very similar to onions when germinating.

04-11 there are still frosts here in central Indiana. But planting out a month ago was the right thing to do. Onions are well established and growing great. I may actually get some large onions this year (bigger that tennis balls). I just purchased some Candy plants and put them out last weekend. They are tiny by comparison. Next year I'm starting all my onions from seeds. Depending on winter harshness, I may start them in Feb (instead of Jan as I did this year).