Gardener Moving to Las Vegas from San Francisco

Q. My husband found your site. We are facing the
possibility of a move to Las Vegas. We have never lived in a desert climate. I
am hoping to continue my love of gardening with vegetables, flowers, and a
water garden like I have here in the San Francisco Bay Area. My biggest
problems here have been raccoons, squirrels, aphids, and powdery mildew. Will
any of those be things I will face in Vegas? What are the biggest
pests/problems I should prepare for? (I’m praying you don’t say scorpions or
fire ants!)

            Also, my
great love is dahlias. I have about 44 plants here, though ironically our
summer was so cool that it was a poor year for us (our tomatoes were also a
disappointment, and I sure hope that won’t be the case in LV). How well to
dahlias fare in Vegas, and will they bloom at a different time of year? Should
I consider putting them in double pots and not in the ground (we’ve talked
about raised beds with high quality soil)? Someone told me that grasshoppers
are so bad there that I will need to completely fence in the whole garden area
with small mesh wire to block the bugs out, is this true? What are your
thoughts?

            I
realize this letter contains a lot of questions… but any help you can give a
life-long gardener or who very nervous she will have to give up all the plants
she loves would be greatly appreciated

A. Well Shannon… we do have bark scorpions but we don’t
have very many fire ants. Those are pretty rare and relatively easy to control
so far. So take a deep breath… it’s not so bad. The desert can be beautiful.

            No raccoons in the Las Vegas area. No
grey squirrels but we do have ground squirrels which some call chipmunks which
they aren’t but they do look a little like Chip and Dale. They can be pesky.

            We do have some aphids in the spring but
they disappear when it gets hot. Powdery mildew is relatively rare compared to
San Francisco. Dahlias will be tough for you in Las Vegas. We can produce some
wonderful vegetables and fruits here and you will find them rivaling in quality
to what you can find at the Farmers Markets in San Francisco.

            Now the bad news. This is the desert.
Growing things here will be NOTHING like what you are familiar with. You will
have to relearn your gardening skills and adapt them to the desert climate.
Your new mantra will be compost, compost, compost. And everything will revolve
around water.

            Yes, you have a lot to learn but think
of it as an adventure and your gardening skills will be tested here. No
“throw a seed in the ground and watch it grow” here. Thats why I am
here. Feel free to ask. By the way, the grasshopper story is totally
far-fetched. You will need a shotgun. (Just kidding, it is not that bad ……… most
years) 🙂

Maybe some others here can give you some pointers.