Hello,

Sets provide for an earlier harvest but won't necessarily result in larger onions, just onions that mature faster. They are a dependable way to ensure a harvest. The only risk is that they might bolt (flower prematurely) if they are exposed to cold temperatures in the spring.

The ability of onions to grow is directly related to their type. Short-day onions require 11 to 12 hours of light, intermediate onions require 13 to 14 hours of daylight and long-day onions require 16 or more hours of daylight. Long-day and intermediate-day onions grow the best in Ohio.

I am sending you a website for an information sheet on growing onions in the garden. This is a handy reference for site selection (including soil pH), cultivars that are available, planting illustrations, fertilizing, and pest management. You can access it here: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1616

If you haven’t had you soil tested in a while, I would recommend that you do so before planting. There is still time to have this done before you plant. Here is a URL with information on soil testing should you want to do so. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1132

You may want to go online or look at some vegetable catalogs for onion sets. While I cannot recommend a specific catalog, these are good places to start:

https://parkseed.com/onion/c/onion/

https://www.harrisseeds.com/collections/onion

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/onions/onion-plants/

https://www.burpee.com/vegetables/onions/

There are many other places, including your local nursery. I would not buy onion sets from Amazon, however.

Hope this helps you get the large onions you want this year!

Happy planting!