Spring cropping onions can be grown from Japanese or other autumn sown
sets developed especially for that purpose. They do come a little
earlier than sets sown in Feb./March under cover, but we concluded that
the ten or so days advantage was not worth the hassle of taking them all
through the winter. Maybe an advantage to commercial growers wishing to
catch a high price, but IOHO a 'no-no' in the kitchen garden.
--
Alan & Joan Gould, North Lincs.

I've just planted some Japanese onion sets (Senshyu Yellow). We tried
growing Japanese onions for the first time last Winter and thought they were
a great success. We started cropping them before they were fully ripe and
they fulfilled our cooking needs for several weeks until the traditional
Spring planted onion crop was ready. They were tasty too. Well worth growing
in my opinion (or should that be "in my oponion" :-)

Drakanthus.