Studying the Northern Nevada gardening guide is the next step after learning the best plants for northern Nevada. Selecting plants and what grows well in northern Nevada is what makes up this guide. Like other states, you must choose plants that match the hardiness zones in the north of Nevada.
This region has a hardiness zone rated 5 to 7a, which means one must follow special procedures and practices for gardening. In addition to knowing what crops are suitable for northern Nevada, all the steps from planting to harvesting must fit the region’s conditions. You can also protect your plants from extreme outdoor changes using a greenhouse.
Northern Nevada Gardening Guide
This gardening guide is composed of selecting plants for northern Nevada and what grows well in northern Nevada. Afterward, you’ll learn about planting zones and gardening tips for this region. This way, you can have a list of plants and practices that will suit the conditions in your location in northern Nevada.
Selecting Plants For Northern Nevada
Before you know what plants grow well in northern Nevada, you must learn two factors on how to select plants. They are the conditions of Nevada north and high fire hazards. These two dictate how to choose the right plants and what gardening practices are feasible in this region.
Northern Nevada conditions
Northern Nevada is a high desert area that makes climate, soil, and drought the three elements that can be tricky for gardeners. One can expect extreme temperatures, winds, low humidity, and soils rich in clay. As you can assume, these conditions are not supportive of plant growth and health.
Check the hardiness zone of your area and choose a plant that can tolerate the conditions. The importance of knowing the hardiness is that it ensures that the conditions in your area will support the growth of your plants. At the same time, you might encounter the term desert-wise and drought-tolerant plants.
Desert-wise plants and drought-tolerant plants are those that will perform well in dry regions. When buying plants, those with these labels will help you know which will adapt successfully in northern Nevada. Besides, stick to plants that can tolerate 10°F since northern Nevada can reach temperatures this extreme.
High fire hazards
Gardening in the desert also means that you have to select plants while considering their fire hazard. This can be tricky as you won’t find plant ratings regarding their fire resistance. Instead, you will choose plants with characteristics that won’t put you at high risk of fire.
According to the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, the plants’ moisture content and growing habit play a role in fire hazards. You want to choose crops with high moisture content and low-growing habit instead of the opposite. This means choosing herbaceous and succulent plants, as well as shrubs that are 2 feet tall.
Herbaceous plants and succulent plants like annual and perennial flowers, grasses, ground covers, and bulbs have high moisture content. However, you must be on the lookout once they dry out and remove the top growth since they can turn into a fire hazard. Compared to woody plants, deciduous types will have a higher moisture content than evergreen woody plants.
Pruning and maintaining shrubs less than 2 feet tall is also another practice to prevent fire. This is because they have less fuel and produce shorter flames in contrast to taller plants. It would also help to remember that some plants contain flammable materials, such as those in evergreen woody plants.
What Grows Well In Northern Nevada?
Keeping northern Nevada conditions and fire hazards in mind, the following plants grow well in northern Nevada. As you can see, they are composed of fruits, deciduous plants, evergreens, low-growing shrubs, grasses, perennials, and vines.
Fruits
Northern Nevada has suitable growing conditions for apple, apricot, Asian pear, cherries, nectarine, peach, pear, and plum.
Deciduous plants
Deciduous plants have low fire hazard because of their high moisture content. You can choose from ash, chokecherry, crabapple blue, ginkgo, golden rain, Hawthorne, honeylocust, Kentucky coffee, lilac, London plane, maple, oak, Persian ironwood, redbud, and zelkova.
Evergreens
According to the Nevada Housing Division, you can plant evergreens like Arizona cypress, atlas cedar, Austrian pine, Bosnian pine, bristlecone pine, incense cedar, Jeffrey pine, limber pine, ponderosa pine, Scotch pine, Swiss stone pine, white fir, and Wichita blue juniper in northern Nevada.
Grasses
Alkali sacaton, blue fescue, blue oat, Chinese silver grass, feather reed, little bluestem, silver grass, switch, and tufted hair are grasses you can grow in northern Nevada.
Shrubs
If you like shrubs, northern Nevada can grow amur maple, barberry, buffaloberry, butterfly bush, caryopteris, chokeberry, cisterna plum, cotoneaster, Diervilla, juniper, kinnikinnick, lilac, mock orange, mugo pine, ninebark, potentilla, quince, rose, serviceberry, Siberian pea shrub, smoke bush, snowberry, spiraea, sumac, and yucca.
Perennials
Northern Nevada has a long list of perennials. They include Agastache, baptisia, bee balm, blanket flower, California fuchsia, catmint, Centranthus, chocolate daisy, coneflower, coreopsis, daylily, dianthus, fern bush, flax, ice plant, iris, lavender, lupine, Mexican primrose, penstemon, peony, red hot poker, red valerian, Russian sage, salvia, sedum, sneezeweed, snow in summer, spirea, thyme, veronica, and yarrow.
Vines
If you have space, honeysuckle, silver lace, trumpet vine, and wisteria vines can grow well in northern Nevada.
What Is The Planting Zone For Reno Nv?
If you’re gardening in Reno, Nevada, be aware that it is planting zone 7a. This means that the last frost day is in mid-April or during the first week of May. You can also expect the first frost in mid-October or the first week of November.
Can You Grow A Garden In Nevada?
You can grow a garden in Nevada with proper planning, practices, and selection of crops. You can do container gardening or use a greenhouse if you have limited space. With the latter, you have the advantage of having protection against extreme weather conditions.
Refer to Krostrade.com and know how greenhouses allow gardeners to maintain the ideal health and growth conditions for their crops indoors. Since Nevada is prone to frosts, it’s essential to protect your crops. Alongside learning the planting zones and plants for your area, using a greenhouse makes the environment more controllable and predictable.
What Vegetables Grow Well In Las Vegas?
When it comes to vegetables, you can grow several crops in Las Vegas. They include aloe, cabbage tree, carrot, coriander, kale, ornamental eggplant, ornamental sweet potatoes, pepper, pistachio, potato, rosemary, swiss chard, and tomato.
However, the National Garden Association has also mentioned that the cultivation of beans, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, gourds, lettuce, onion, peas, pumpkins, spinach, and squashes is also feasible in Las Vegas.
When Should I Plant My Garden In Las Vegas?
In general, your growing season in Las Vegas starts from February to November. The frost-free days would be 285 since it’s from February 16 to November 27. However, each crop has varying dates on when to plant them.
For example, you can start cole crops indoors in December and then transplant them in January. You can also plant onions, potatoes, and peas in December as soon as the ground thaws. The National Garden Association recommends sowing eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes indoors in December and transplant them in February.
Summer crops should start in February, and garlic is best for fall. Overall, remember that you are trying to harvest your crops before frost begins on November 27. Plan the planting and picking duration for each plant, and maintain the ideal conditions for them in a greenhouse.
Conclusion
Because of northern Nevada’s climate and conditions, gardening can be a tricky endeavor. However, studying the northern Nevada gardening guide, such as selecting plants and what grows well in this region, will make gardening simpler. If you are planting in either Reno or Las Vegas, knowing their frost-free dates will protect your plants and plant them without drawbacks.
According to the University of Nevada, Reno, using a greenhouse will create successful gardens in Nevada. Learn the requirements of your crops, the hardiness zone of your location, and practices suitable for Nevada. All of these tips help you get a favorable outcome in your northern Nevada garden.