Regional guide

Southern Nevada Desert Vegetable Garden

UNR Extension Southern Nevada guide for Mojave heat, alkaline soils, raised beds, cool/warm crop windows, and hotbed starts.

Regional timing

Current regional planting plan

UNR Extension Southern Nevada guide for Mojave heat, alkaline soils, raised beds, cool/warm crop windows, and hotbed starts.

Source-backed timing UNR Extension Becoming a Desert Gardener

Southern Nevada Desert 123 frost-free days

May 15 last frost spring release Sep 15 first frost fall limit

UNR Becoming a Desert Gardener frames Southern Nevada as the Mojave Desert, with four inches of average rainfall per year and humidity usually below 30%.
The source says Southern Nevada temperature varies widely, with about ninety-seven days per year over 100 degrees F and average winter temperature in the low 30s.
Wind gusts of 70 mph are possible, so young plants may need protection.

Catalog priority: 28 priority crops
Climate checks: 6 climate signals
Timing basis: Using Northern Nevada dates

Source-backed timing May 15 last spring frost and September 15 earliest fall frost from the northern Nevada guide.

North valleys and exposed sites can run colder; use local records when they are available.

Crop priority Provider Bush Bean leads the catalog examples

Provider Bush Bean, Detroit Dark Red Beet, Waltham 29 Broccoli, Golden Acre Cabbage

Next local check Although Southern Nevada is a desert, spring is often too cool for tender seedlings to get established outdoors before summer temperatures rise, so indoor starts help warm season vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, watermelon, and pepper.

The Southern Nevada table marks celery, eggplant, pepper, and tomato with a hotbed 8 weeks ahead of the listed date warning.

Calendar Convert regional timing into dated sowing, transplant, and harvest jobs. Frost dates Keep hardiness zone context separate from local first and last frost dates. All regions Compare this guide with the broader regional atlas. Northern Nevada A UNR Extension guide for northern Nevada's spring, summer, and fall vegetable windows, frost dates, microclimates, and succession rows.

Climate signals

UNR Becoming a Desert Gardener frames Southern Nevada as the Mojave Desert, with four inches of average rainfall per year and humidity usually below 30%.
The source says Southern Nevada temperature varies widely, with about ninety-seven days per year over 100 degrees F and average winter temperature in the low 30s.
Wind gusts of 70 mph are possible, so young plants may need protection.
Southern Nevada vegetable beds face high salt levels, high pH, and low amounts of organic matter, making vegetables easier in a raised bed with compost-amended soil.
Cool season vegetables grow in the cool part of the year; warm season vegetables grow in the warm but not the hottest part of the year.
All plants, cool or warm season, shut down most metabolism when temperature is over 95F and will not produce leaves, roots, flowers, or fruits.

Planning notes

Although Southern Nevada is a desert, spring is often too cool for tender seedlings to get established outdoors before summer temperatures rise, so indoor starts help warm season vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, watermelon, and pepper.
The Southern Nevada table marks celery, eggplant, pepper, and tomato with a hotbed 8 weeks ahead of the listed date warning.
The table note says Early August means the second week of August.
Cool-season rows include artichoke Early February through late March; beets Early February through late March and early August through early October; broccoli Early through late February and early August through early October; Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower Early through late February and early August through early October; Swiss chard Early February through Late March and early August through early October; collards Late February through late March and early August through early October; kale and kohlrabi Early February through mid-March and early August through early October; leaf lettuce Early through late February and mid-August through late September; mustard Early February through mid-March and early September through late October; green onions Early February through mid-March and early August through early October; parsley Early February through late March and early August through early October; parsnips Early February through late March and mid-August through early October; peas Early February through mid-March and early September through early October; radish Early February through late April and mid-August through early October; rutabaga Early February through mid-March and mid-August through early October; spinach Early February through late March and early September through early October; and turnips Early February through mid-March and mid-August through early October.
Warm-season rows include bush beans Mid-March through mid-April and mid-June through mid-August; sweet corn Mid-March through late April and mid-June through mid-August; cucumber Mid-March through mid-August; eggplant Mid-March through mid-May; melon and cantaloupe Mid-March through late June; okra Early April through late June; pepper Mid-March through early May; pumpkin Mid-March through late June; winter squash Mid-March through late June; tomato Mid-March through late May; and watermelon Mid-March through late June.
Treat this older SP-01-15 publication as a University of Nevada Cooperative Extension baseline and verify current local weather, soil, and water conditions before planting.
Use these priority catalog links as crop-row examples only, not UNR cultivar recommendations.

Catalog crop examples

These catalog entries match crops covered by the regional timing source; variety-specific details remain tied to each seed entry's own source.

Provider Bush Bean Vegetable · Warm · 50 days
Detroit Dark Red Beet Vegetable · Cool · 58 days
Waltham 29 Broccoli Vegetable · Cool · 74 days
Golden Acre Cabbage Vegetable · Cool · 64 days
Danvers 126 Carrot Vegetable · Shoulder · 70 days
Snowball Y Cauliflower Vegetable · Cool · 70 days
Tall Utah Celery Vegetable · Cool · 110 days
Bright Lights Swiss Chard Vegetable · Shoulder · 55 days
Georgia Southern Collards Vegetable · Cool · 65 days
Golden Bantam Sweet Corn Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
Marketmore 76 Cucumber Vegetable · Warm · 58 days
Black Beauty Eggplant Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
Lacinato Kale Vegetable · Cool · 60 days
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
Hale's Best Jumbo Melon Vegetable · Warm · 85 days
Southern Giant Curled Mustard Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
Clemson Spineless Okra Vegetable · Warm · 56 days
Evergreen Bunching Onion Vegetable · Shoulder · 65 days
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Herb · Shoulder · 75 days
Sugar Snap Pea Vegetable · Cool · 62 days
California Wonder Pepper Vegetable · Warm · 72 days
Small Sugar Pumpkin Vegetable · Warm · 100 days
French Breakfast Radish Vegetable · Cool · 28 days
Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
Waltham Butternut Squash Vegetable · Warm · 95 days
Roma Tomato Vegetable · Warm · 76 days
Purple Top White Globe Turnip Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
Sugar Baby Watermelon Vegetable · Warm · 80 days

Related regional guides

Northern Nevada Three-Season Vegetable Garden A UNR Extension guide for northern Nevada's spring, summer, and fall vegetable windows, frost dates, microclimates, and succession rows.

Source: UNR Extension Becoming a Desert Gardener