Q. I have been looking for seeds for planting fall
vegetables and herbs and not having much luck here in Vegas. Where should I
start?
A. Start with varieties that have done well here in the
past. Dr. Wittwer’s Moapa Valley vegetable growing “Bible” is a good place to
start. He mentions several older varieties that have performed well for him. I
can forward a copy to you if you don’t have it.
Slowly
introduce new varieties that have no production history in the desert. Be
careful. Not all varieties produce well in a desert climate. Consult online
vegetable seed sources like Gurneys, Park Seed Company, Territorial Seed Company, Baker Creek Seed and Grow Organic. Specialty seed sources like
Kitazawa Seed and Seeds from Italy provide some interesting and heirloom seed
sources.
Heirlooms
don’t produce as much food as hybrids, but they are oftentimes “tastier” if you
can get them to produce here. heirlooms are not as “finicky” as hybrids so they don’t require as much fertilizer and care.