Tips and Tricks for Spring Gardening in Nevada

Get your garden off to a good start this spring! Gardening in Nevada can sometimes be a rollercoaster. You never know what Nevada’s weather might bring, hot sunny days mixed with surprise snowstorms in April. This is your guide to choosing the right plants for a healthy garden in Northern Nevada.

According to the University of Nevada, Reno College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources, “In northern Nevada, we can grow an abundance of vegetables. We have three seasons during which we can grow food: early spring, summer and early fall. St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is the traditional start to our cool‐season gardens.”

Cool season starter plants:

• English peas

• snow peas,

• sugar snap peas

• sweet peas

• spinach

Wait another month and you can direct‐seed most other cool‐season crops such as:

• Lettuce

• Swiss chard

• Beets

• Carrots

After the last frost in May to early June, you can plant warm‐season transplants (small plants started indoors from seed by you or a nursery) such as”

• Tomatoes

• Eggplant

• Peppers

• Watermelon

• Squash

You can plant a second season of cool‐season vegetables starting in August. Many of these plants can be harvested well into autumn and will overwinter if protected.

Choose a site for your garden that gets full sun for at least six to eight hours per day. Most often the best place for a vegetable garden is the south‐facing side of your property that features protection from the wind, which can rob plants of moisture. A fence, row of trees or bushes will help! If you do not have yard space you can grow vegetables in containers and move them to where the sun is.

Other tips!

Tomato plants do the best in a raised bed or a pot with morning sun and afternoon shade.

Something to note is that plants that have fruit on them are often not the best choice for your garden. When a plant produces a lot of fruit it is often the plant's last effort on spreading its own seeds.

Good soil prepared with compost will help your veggies thrive and reduce the amount of pests!

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About The Author:

Julie is a Nevada local and earned her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is passionate about community outreach, stewardship, marketing, and is thrilled to be a part of the TMPF team. As the Student Stewards Program Outreach Coordinator, Julie is looking forward to engaging with the Reno community about the incredible parks and open spaces in the area, as well as the many amazing programs TMPF has to offer! In her free time, Julie loves to be in the mountains. You can usually find her backpacking, skiing, and exploring hot springs.