Growing your own food in Las Vegas not only gives you fresher, tastier food to eat, but it brings a satisfaction to your soul that you can’t get from just picking up food from your local grocery store. However, growing your own food is not something that just happens in the growing season. It is something that should encompass the entire year to some extent or another.
Winter
The winter is not the normal growing season, but it is very important to having a successful garden. First, all the previous season’s plants that have now perished should be pulled out and discarded. Next is the time to plan your gardens for the upcoming year. Crops need to be rotated from time to time so that nutrients can be replaced in beds. This also prevents parasites from getting too comfortable. Winter is the time to start specific seed crops indoors that you will later transplant into your garden container. It is also the time to make sure you are restoring the nutrients to your soil to prepare for the upcoming growing season. You can do this by planting cover crops in your planting beds which add nutrients to the soil by fixing nitrogen at their roots.
Spring
Spring is an exciting time for the garden. It’s when you get to see plants starting to grow and develop fruit and vegetables which will one day grace your kitchen table and fill your belly with goodness. However Spring is also a time where we will need to plan protection for our tender young plants from the excessive winds that can burn them up and blow them down. This season often requires a larger investment of your time as you lay the plants out and plant them into their assigned spots in your garden.
Summer
Summer continues the growing process with the early summer producing the first fruits of our labor. This season is when you are going to have to protect your veggies and fruits the most from the multi-legged and winged predators that are also looking to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Preventing them will take more effort if you desire to do this without tainting your food with man-made chemical products and instead use more organic and natural methods. Towards the middle and end of summer, some of your plants will perish and others will stop producing but resist the temptation to ignore your garden at this point or the weeds will eventually make your life miserable. Also, this is a good time to start your Fall crop seedlings indoors.
Fall
Fall rejuvenates some existing plants so that they start fruiting again but also gives us an opportunity to plant a winter crop of plants that we can enjoy into the early Spring. This is an especially good season for hot peppers, so be prepared with your dehydrator and your salsa recipes.
The growing year is chock full of things to do and food to enjoy. Growing your own food brings great satisfaction and fulfillment that is well worth all the investment you give. “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34, NKJV)
