Cooking is how everyone in my family shows love, both to one another and to the other people in our lives.

We enjoy preparing food just as much as we enjoy serving it. There are always plenty of cookbooks unwrapped during the holidays.

All that time in the kitchen has taught me the value of keeping foundational ingredients on hand. It’s much easier to be adventurous with a recipe when you always have the basics within reach. That’s why onions and garlic are two of the most useful vegetables you can grow.

I still remember the first year I harvested my own. After curing them, I had homegrown onions and garlic ready to use for months. Every time I reached for one, I felt the same sense of satisfaction.

The easiest vegetables you’ll grow all year

Onions and garlic are remarkably easy to grow in North Texas once you know which varieties to choose and when to plant them.

They grow during our coolest months, which means less watering, less weeding and far less worrying than you sometimes experience with summer veggies.

They are also incredibly productive. A relatively small amount of garden space can provide you with ingredients you’ll use in the kitchen nearly every day.

That’s why I love teaching my Awesome Alliums class. Growing onions and garlic is such a practical skill. It’s the perfect merging of the joy of gardening and the satisfaction of becoming more self-reliant.

Garlic planting season is almost here

We’ll begin planting garlic next month, so now is the time to select your varieties and place your order.

To make ordering easier, I created a Garlic & Onion Buying Guide for my students.

The guide is available right now inside the Awesome Alliums class module. You can enroll today, use the guide to place your orders and then come to class ready to learn how to grow everything successfully.

Join me for Awesome Alliums

I’ll be teaching Awesome Alliums live on Wednesday, September 23 at 6:00 p.m.

We’ll cover the entire growing process, from preparing the soil and planting correctly to harvesting, curing and storing your crop. You’ll leave knowing exactly what to do and when to do it.

Awesome Alliums is included with enrollment in The Dallas Garden School. You’ll also receive immediate access to our complete on-demand class library, the student community and direct help through Ask Callie.

If you love cooking and want to become more self-reliant in the kitchen, this is one gardening skill you’ll use for years.

Already enrolled? You can find the Garlic & Onion Buying Guide inside the Awesome Alliums class module now.

CWL