Winter in the desert means gardening classes

To amateur gardeners in the desert, fall is the perfect time to kick back and pack away the trowel for spring.

But, as any green thumb knows, if there isn't a winter garden full of greens to tend to, now is the time to plan your spring garden. And community associations are here to help with classes and demonstrations for planning and tending your edible and flowering plants.

In addition to gardening tips, master-planned community residents also are taking time out to shop at popular farmer's markets throughout the valley. Downtown Summerlin holds a weekly farmer's market 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. under the Pavilion. It includes fruits and vegetables produced from local farms. This fall, the market will offer classes in ecological stewardship and farmers. Of course, there is a range of holiday food events featuring local produce planned for the upcoming season. See the Downtown Summerlin's website for more details.

In January, Mountain's Edge and Star Nursery will offer its first beginner gardening boot camp for residents with a guide for where to start gardening in their desert yards.

And where is that? With the right tools, picking the proper location, creating the best soil and knowing the seasonal planting for your zone.

The Star Nursery class will offer even more: water smart desert landscaping, making the most of winter blooms, learning about flowers that can provide your yard with durable color and wrapping up your winter yard maintenance. The classes will offer onsite demonstrations, examples and tailored information for residents.

Exclusive events like gardening seminars bring together residents of a master-planned community to learn something new right in their own backyard. According to the Mountain's Edge staff, residents sought out these landscaping classes and are looking forward to learning something new at the homeowners association.

The keys to gardening in Las Vegas lie mostly in the location of the garden, soil and timing.

Planting on the east side of your home for most people will provide some shade during the hottest parts of the day — the key to keeping your plants from burning up in the sweltering heat.

Amending the soil is necessary and composting can be fairly easy with a mix of kitchen scraps like the ends of vegetables and coffee grounds as well as organic matter like leaves and plants. For a small, compact compost option, consider an indoor worm bin. The worms break down the material faster than a traditional compost pile and can be kept in the house. Manufacturers promise there's no smell.

And, in order to find out when to plant and when to harvest different plants, research zone-specific timetables, like this one http://www.ufseeds.com/Zone-9-Planting-Calendar.html. While most of the Las Vegas area is in zone 9, parts to the north and west are in zone 8.

"Although the new hardiness zone map is a useful tool, don't rely on it too much when selecting plants for your landscape," according to gardening.com. " Consider each potential plant's native habitat. A perennial that is adapted to sunny desert conditions will have a tough time in a cloudy, wet climate, even if it's the right hardiness zone."

But there's an easier way to learn everything you need to know: meet up with your neighbors and attend a demonstration by the masters.

So pick that trowel back up, dig in and sort the trash. Gardening can be both beautiful and sustainable.

Besides, Houston Culture Map has declared, "Around the nation, the new thinking is taking root: Master-planned communities don't have to be covered with lawns and golf courses."