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I have grown onions for sets, and from seeds - and 5-6 different kinds. They all taste strong, none are sweet. I have grown Wall walla, red, etc.

I pick them and cut immediately (would drying them help). Soil test ok (ph) and I have grown them in potting soil with same results. Ideas?

Hmmm....... I thought that is why we want onions , for that bold flavor? If you don't like the taste of onion, simply don't use it! Grow some lettuce.

I like onions - but I do not like really strong onions, and no one I know does. These are that way, they do not taste good raw.

Sweeter onions don't store well. I think that means onions from sets may not be the sweeter varieties. I have yet to successfully grow really big onions from seeds, but the sweet types harvested golfball sized WERE sweet as in no sharp bite. I'm trying Walla Walla that I sowed last fall -- barely made it over this harsh winter, though. Also growing from purchased plants which are doing better.

Since aside from WallaWalla, most of the really sweet onions are grown in warmer states like Georgia and Texas, maybe it's not possible to grow them up here -- onions are day length sensitive and what will bulb up in Georgia and Texas will NOT in NJ and probably not Ohio either.

I think variety is likely the largest factor in onion flavors. Try some more varieties.
Onions are cool weather plants, and go to flower when the days are of a certain length.
Hence we have Short Day, Medium Day and Long Day onions.
Usually the Short Day onions for the South and Long Day onions for the North is the best choice.
In any case plant them very early in the season.
Have fun experimenting!

A green onion is usually the first thing that passes my lips in the early spring from the new garden (except maybe for some overwintered kale) and it always bites me! But, I'm like yippee! The first vegetable from this year's garden! But I don't always eat one when I go down there. In salads their bite is diluted a little, and of course, cooked onions lose it completely.
Applestar, I was curious, what are all those letters and numbers after your zone 6 designation? (3/M etc)

Variety, soil and climatic conditions all factor in on how the plants taste.

I can grow Vidalia onions but they may not taste the same because my soil is different.

I have grown Texas granex, what we would call Maui onions. They are sweet and mild in the beginning, but after a couple of weeks the sugars turn and they can become quite hot.

Taiji wrote:Applestar, I was curious, what are all those letters and numbers after your zone 6 designation? (3/M etc)

I'm slowly realizing that this is not a commonly used designation. I happened to work for different Japanese companies for years and since in Japan, months of the year are just numbers -- 1 gatsu (1st month), 2 gatsu (2nd month), etc. they shorthand rough schedules/plans as 3/B (beginning of 3rd month), 3/M (middle of 3rd month), 3/E (end of 3rd month) -- I.e. mid-March)... 10/M would be mid-October. I was trying to indicate my growing season.

...I find it a very useful short hand for garden notes. I divide a month into B=1-10, M=11-20, E=21-30•31

There are long day onions and short day onions. But here in very south OH next to the Mason-Dixon line, I am not north or south and what works for me is day neutral onions. Candy is a nice variety that is mild and sweet and has worked well for me. I plant sets in early spring. When I plant onion seed, I plant it in the fall.