Direct sowing (DS), row direct sowing (RDS), and the transplanting method (TM) were investigated for two onion cultivars, Azar-Shahr (red skin onion) and Horand (yellow-brown skin onion) during 1999, at Khalat-Pooshan Research Station, Tabriz University. Analysis of variance for the measured traits indicated that except for the percentage of class II onions, other traits were significantly influenced by the sowing methods. TM had higher values of total yield, marketable yield, percentage of class I and III, bulb weight, homogeneity (HOM) of bulb weight, bulb diameter, HOM of bulb diameter, bulb length, HOM of bulb length, bulb diameter at the neck and base, number of centres, and percentage of bulbs containing multiple centres than the other methods. The cultivars differed significantly only for bulb weight, HOM of bulb weight, and postharvest longevity characteristics. The data suggest that TM could be an effective method in onion production areas without causing a change in soil texture. RDS was also a better method than DS in terms of marketable yield, and homogeneity of bulb weight.