My pea and onion conundrum

Does anybody remember the story "That's Good, That's Bad"?

Well, if you do, you'll understand why I'm thinking of that story today.

Good news: My onions from Dixondale arrived today - woohoo!

Bad news: Cold/freezing temps are expected for the next several days - :(

What's the best way to store these babies until I can set them out, which looks like will be next Sunday at the earliest? (I'm a wimp - I just don't dig in the dirt unless the temperatures are at least in the 50s.)

And how much cold weather can they really take? Should I store them for a few more weeks (and how - refrigerator, or just in a fairly cool spot)? Or is it better to get them in the ground now, even though our weather is likely to continue these rapid mood swings (you know, spring one day, winter the next, LOL.)

Ditto for peas - my Co-Op ordered some inoculant for me (bless their pea-pickin' hearts), and it should be in stock tomorrow. I have my sugar snaps all ready to go in the ground. It's been a good long while since I planted peas - just how cold-hardy are they? I saw Brook's posting about planting peas on Valentine's Day, but that seems awful for my zone 6 garden...any help/advice is greatly appreciated!

G-V:

Most of the eastern 2/3 of Kentucky is zone 6. I'm in that little piece that's 6B for some reason. Trust me, Valentine's Day it is.

Some years them old timers are out there with pick axes trying to cut a furrow in frozen ground because, by Gawd, it's Valentine's Day---time to get the peas in.

Last year I actually got them in on time. Didn't nothing happen until March, anyway. Just about the time I put the onion sets in---if that helps you any.

If you're going to store the onions, I'd recommend putting them in a paper bag (to keep things dark), and storing in a cool place until ready to plant.

Terry, we know a guy who plants the peas in the fall and leaves them out in the snow and cold all winter. I tried it once, didn't work, but I'm sure you won't have any problems planting them now. up here, we plant on Good Friday, which means there's a lot of cold left for them to sit out in. I think the only thing you really need to worry about is if the seeds sit in water and rot.

Peas and onions, yummmmm!!
Vols, I semi-agree with the above. Keep the onions in a cool DRY place but it should be airy. And if you can spread them out that would be even better. Don't worry about them drying out, they'll be just fine and will revive when planted and watered in (trust me, water them in good when planting).
As for the peas, like Brook said above, even if you'd have planted them Valentine's Day they would've more'n likely just sat there and stared at ya till first of March...so this wkend should be a good time for you to plant them. When you said you 'have them all ready' does that mean you've been soaking them? If so, just let them dry out...they'll be fine unless they are to the point of being mushy. The innoculant should be stored in the fridge if you've opened the bag to make it last longer (and there should also be an expiration date on the pack).
Sorry to have just now noticed this thread.

Shoe, thanks - your advice is right on time. The peas are still in their packet, the inoculant is still at the co-op (I have been miserable with allergies the past two days, plus a field trip with DD's class - no time for running down there to pick it up!) And the way the weather is shaping up, I may wait until next week before I get them in (now they're calling for rain/snow and cold temps on Saturday and Sunday - ugh.)

The onions are in a box with holes, but I'll take them out and spread them somewhere cool (and where the cat can't get to them to play with them - that's harder than finding a cool spot, LOL.) Thanks for the good advice, ya'll!