Already time to start planting cool-season vegetables

Most of us are from somewhere else in the country, where it is still cold and snowy. We'd never dream of planting a garden until April or May. But in Las Vegas, it is time to plant your cool-season vegetables. Here are reasons to plant early:

• Cooler weather results in slower growth with sweeter produce.

• There are fewer pests.

• You use less water during the cool season.

• The color of veggies will be much richer.

If you're planning on growing fruits and vegetables, you won't want to miss the following classes:

Basics of fruit and veggies: Join me Saturday at 2 p.m., when I'll present an in-depth discussion on the following questions and many more: How do I grow thriving vegetables and fruit in this devastating heat? When is the best time to plant fruit trees and vegetables to get the most out of them? My yard is nothing but caliche, is there any hope of turning my yard into a Garden of Eden?

Pests-aside, we're talking integrated pest management: Join me Saturday at 8:30 a.m. to learn how we put pests aside to free our gardens of any vermin. Find out how you can implement these techniques in your garden.

These classes take place at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. For the price of admission and to reserve your seat, call 822-7786.

There are seven keys to ensuring gardening success this spring:

Plant at the right time: I can't stress enough planting vegetables at the right time. National Weather Service records tell us to expect about 150 days of temperatures above 90 degrees. High temperatures are hard on all vegetables. To dodge this stress factor, get veggies in early. Many wait until April because that was when Grandpa did it back home, but that's too late in Las Vegas.

Plant the right vegetables: According to the weather service, we can expect the last frost to happen about mid-March. Information on vegetable seed packets tells you to plant the following vegetables four to six weeks before March 15: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, rutabaga, potatoes, parsnips, lettuce, parsley, spinach, mustard greens, collards, Swiss chard and endive as well as perennial crops -- asparagus, artichoke, Jerusalem artichoke, horseradish and rhubarb.

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension publishes a booklet called "Beginning Gardening in the Desert" with a guide on when to plant vegetables in Las Vegas. To get your copy, call 257-5555. The late Bill Tomiyasu developed this guide by planting each of these vegetables through the entire year for years.

These vegetables prefer cooler weather to mature -- note the word "mature," not "plant." It isn't when you plant, it's when you harvest that counts. Let me use records from the weather service to help you understand why you need to plant now. Temperatures in February average in the mid-60s during the day and in the mid-30s at night; plants will germinate under those temperatures.

Assume you plant this weekend. Sixty days from now when the plants are maturing, temperature highs will be in the low 80s and mid-50s at night. Those temperatures are ideal for snappy carrots, crunchy radishes, crispy heads of lettuce and snow-white heads of cauliflower, among other desirable vegetables.

By waiting until April to plant, average highs will be in the mid-70s and lows in the mid-40s. Yes, vegetables germinate quicker, but at maturity, when temperatures will be in the mid-90s, you'll be eating bitter lettuce, kerosene-tasting carrots, seedy cauliflower heads and hot radishes.

None of these vegetables enjoys temperatures more than 85 degrees. During cooler weather, sugars accumulate to make sweeter produce. But above 90 degrees, plants use these sugars to keep alive.

You plant tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and vine crops -- watermelons, squash, cantaloupe, pumpkins, crenshaws, casabas, etc. -- after the last frost day or mid-March.

Plant in the right location: No vegetable will grow in shade. The vegetables we're talking about need at least four to five hours of sunlight a day to create the produce of your dreams. If possible, plant so they are shaded from afternoon sun. Also, plant near your back door. It is nice if you can observe your garden from your dining room table. While eating, your eyes will wander to problems in the garden you can address.

Prepare the soil: Our desert soils are essentially dead. I can trace more than 70 percent of all gardening problems back to poor soil conditions. Split tomatoes, stunted carrots, misshapen onions, headless cabbages, small watermelons, tasteless cantaloupes and earless corn might sound like familiar problems.

Revive your soil by adding organic material. It opens up your soil, provides drainage, encourages soil microorganisms, keeps soils cool, holds moisture for plant use and acts as a nutrient storehouse.

If you are new to gardening, spread 3 to 4 inches of organic matter purchased from your nursery over your garden area and distribute a balanced fertilizer and sulfur over it. Till the products into the top foot, level and moisten it and plant desired crops.

Fertilize to maintain growth: All vegetables are heavy feeders. Our soils are void of the essential nutrients, so add a fertilizer enhancement. Some gardeners get heavy-handed when feeding. For best results, use light, frequent applications rather than heavy doses.

Keep soil moist: Water more often until the seeds emerge, and less often, but longer, as crops mature. This pushes roots deeper to keep up with plant demands. You don't want any holdups when growing vegetables.

Here is a tip after planting: Our soils crust, making it hard for seeds to emerge. Lightly cover the seeds with fine organic mulch to soften the soil.

When to harvest: This is a little iffy, because it gets hot so quick here and that speeds up maturity. Sample vegetables as they approach maturity.

Pay attention to the picture on the seed packet. That is when a vegetable is at its peak of quality. A woman brought in a baseball-size radish wanting to know why it was so pithy. I told her she waited too long to harvest and showed her a picture of when to harvest it.

Finally, visit your garden daily to keep all bugs and weeds under control. If you see one cabbage looper, pick it off before it becomes a butterfly. Its mission is to produce more and more of them.

Linn Mills writes a garden column every Thursday. You can reach him at linn.mills @springspreserve.org or at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve 822-7754.