It is vegetable planting time in Las Vegas. It's ideal weather to plant your cool-season vegetables. Based on the high and low averages right now, we can expect daytime temperatures in the mid-60s and in the mid-30s at night. Cool-season vegetables thrive in these temperatures. Jack Frost hangs around until mid-March and seed packets tell you to plant cool-season veggies four to six weeks before the last frost. Plant now and you will be surprised how good your veggies will taste.

I recall a woman once saying, "Starting a garden is like catching a train. If you're late, you miss it."

In "Beginning to garden in the Desert," there is a complete guide on when to plant vegetables. Call 257-5555 to get your copy. Note why you want to plant now:

• Cooler weather results in slower growth and sweeter products

• Fewer pests

• Use less water to get plants started right

• Roots establish themselves before heat sets in

• Veggie colors will be much richer

Most of us want to plant when temperatures get in the 70s. But you need to focus on temperatures in the 40s to 60s to start; they will mature once temperatures hit the 70s and 80s. If you plant when it gets warmer and it suddenly jumps into the 100s, expect pithy, strong-tasting produce.

Soil preparation: Let's go right to the heart of why most people fail at gardening in Las Vegas: They start with dead soil.

"Take control of your soil," said Don Fabbi. "Add organic matter."

Here is Fabbi's prescription for preparing the soil: Clear area of weeds, debris and/or rocks. Spread organic matter (compost, planting mix, etc.) 3- to 4-inches deep over the garden area. Spread the recommended rates of a balanced fertilizer and sulfur over the organic matter. Till or spade these products in the top foot of soil. Level and moisten the improved soil. Plant your desired vegetables. As crops grow, add cottonseed meal to take care of vegetables to maturity.

Vegetables to plant: Here are vegetables to plant now: root crops (carrots, radishes, beets, turnips), leafy crops (lettuce, parsley) and cabbage crops (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi). There are 30 vegetables to plant and the sooner they get in, the better they'll taste.

People often call wanting to know all the particulars about planting different vegetables. It's all written on the seed packets. Let me take you through the items on seed packets.

Plant what you like: Too many people plant vegetables they don't like. For instance, if you can't eat radishes, why grow them? Of course, you could give them to friends.

When to plant: The packet will tell you to plant sometime around March 15 to give you a reference date.

Depth of planting: Plant seeds at the depth recommended. Lettuce needs light to germinate; many people plant it too deep. Cover seeds with compost to keep soil surface from crusting. Crust is like cement over the seeds and they can't get through.

Days to germinate: Note days it takes seeds to germinate. Radishes pop out in three to five days, while carrots in 14 to 21 days. Knowing this cuts down on concerns.

Diagram of seedlings: Many gardeners don't know what seedlings look like and hoe them out. Packets show a picture of seedlings so you can distinguish them from weeds. I've seen people hoe them out, thinking they were weeds. Beet seedlings are thick and lie horizontally on ground.

Thinning: You'll hate to thin, but grit your teeth and do it. It is worth it when lettuce heads form and beets swell, otherwise they can't mature. The packet tells the spacings required.

Days to harvest: This is iffy because it gets hot so quickly, speeding up the process. Sample them as they approach maturity, it is one of the perks of gardening.

The picture: Pay attention to pictures on packets. That is when vegetables are at their peak of quality. Notice the zucchini in the picture; it is 8- to 10-inches long, not 2-feet-long. When they are overgrown, you are more interested in seed production rather than fruit. A lady brought in a radish the size of a baseball wanting to know when to harvest it. I showed her a mature radish picture, a far cry from her radish.

Visit the garden daily: I can't emphasize this enough. When you see pests, go after them right away.

One last tip: People starting a garden this year need to start small and expand as they become familiar with conditions. Nothing breeds discouragement like a crop failure; starting small brings success. You'll get a lot of produce from a 6-by-6-foot area at the peak of quality.

Now sit back and watch the crops flood your table. It always amazes me how much can come out of a small garden.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Famous rosarian to speak: At 7:30 p.m. today, the Las Vegas Valley Rose Society will have Dan Bifano, a rosarian and landscape architect, tell his success stories of landscaping the gardens of Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand. The program is at Nevada Garden Center on the northwest corner of Lorenzi Park, at Washington Avenue and Twin Lakes Drive.

Free gardening classes: Master gardeners are offering free gardening classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays through February at the Nevada Cooperative Extension Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 S. Maryland Parkway. Reserve your spot by calling 257-5555.

Gardening on porches, balconies and patios: At 7 p.m. today, at the Learning Center, Cathy Bruno will offer tips for gardening in closed places, along with showing unique designs to help you make an impact in your small spaces.

A Walk on the Wild(flower) Side: At 7 p.m. Tuesday, at the Learning Center, master gardeners Richard Leifried and Richard Cutbirth have identified 190 desert plants in the Red Rock area. They will discuss 30 of their favorites, including Blue Diamond Cholla, Red Rock Aster, Bicolor-bicolor Penstemon and Blue-eyed Grass. Both instructors have received the Silver Trowel for their outstanding service.

Landscaping with mums: At 2 p.m. Tuesday, learn to "landscape with mums." It's at the Nevada Garden Club Center. If you are interested in mums, the Las Vegas Mum Society encourages you to attend and you may win some mums. For more information, call 459-4633.

Linn Mills writes a gardening column each Thursday. You can reach him at linn.mills@lvspringspreserve.org or at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve at 822-8325.