By Mike Donahue

Moapa Valley Progress

Sad Loss For Local Gardeners

For those who aren’t aware, Moapa Valley gardeners lost a great mentor with the death of Dr. Sylvan Wittwer, 95, who died last month at his Utah home.

He was a tireless advocate for the promise of agriculture technology to eliminate world hunger.

We were extremely fortunate to have access to this wonderful man for several years while he lived in Logandale. His book, Vegetable Gardening in Moapa and Virgin Valleys, is a timeless reminder of what Dr. Wittwer meant to all gardeners especially those in the Southern Nevada area.

Dr. Wittwer, a director emeritus of the Michigan State University Agricultural Experiment Station and professor of horticulture, said in his book that Moapa Valley has long been known as one of the garden spots of the Southwest. In the small volume, he selected some major vegetable crops and then outlined methods of culture both new and old, and answered some of the most commonly asked questions about growing them locally.

“Those who have observed the garden beginning in late August of one year extending to July 1 of the next year have been amazed at the high productivity and quality obtained in small areas when the recommendations in this volume are followed,” Dr. Wittwer said of his book.

It is must-have for local gardeners.

Information in the book is available at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE) office in Logandale, 1897 N. Moapa Valley Blvd.

While much of the U.S. shivers in the annual February deepfreeze, Southern Nevadans are beginning to turn warm thoughts toward a new gardening year – fresh vegetables, vibrant flowers and cheerful green foliage.

Yes, yes I know, it’s still a little early to throw a handful of seeds on the ground and expect they’ll germinate and turn into a verdant jungle of vegetation, but it’s time to prepare.

In spite of the cold, gardeners this month can plant several different vegetables directly into the ground including radishes today (Feb. 1), parsley from Feb. 4 until the end of March, Brussels sprouts and Irish potatoes by Feb. 27, and peas around Feb 20. Just be prepared to protect new tender shoots whenever a freeze is forecast for our area. And yes, although relatively rare, we occasional get them even after the projected mid-March final-freeze-date.

Peas are one of the first vegetables that appear in our gardens. As a rule, they are one of the hardiest cool-weather crops and generally can be sown as soon as the soil is dry enough and can be worked.

As an aside, Dr. Wittwer writes that peas are more successful if planted in the fall of the year. Nevertheless, get them in the ground by the end of this month if you want some early, tasty green vegetables on the table.

Naturally, for those with a hoop house, small tunnel garden or other protected space, a variety of other vegetables can be planted now including beets, bok choy, lettuce, kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, spinach, and other leafy greens that are cold-hardy.

All vegetables have a base temperature at which growth begins. The coolest include beets, carrots, chard, onions, peas, radishes, at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

You should be turning your compost pit at least every other week now to keep it cooking evenly. All transplanting of trees and shrubs including bare root, should be finished by Feb. 15. All existing trees and shrubs should be deep watered.

It’s a good idea to plan and get your garden laid out as soon as possible. At the same time, prepare the irrigation system for summer vegetables.

Start fighting weeds early to get a head start on the battle that will pick up later in the year. Use a pre-emergent now to control weeds in lawns.

Use culinary water as much as possible in your garden. The irrigation water that flows through our valley is full of weed seeds and can actually contaminate a new garden with unwanted plants.

Do not use uncomposted horse and steer manure. Wittwer says weed seeds can still be viable even after passing through their digestive systems.

It’s time to prune pomegranates to help ensure a heavy, healthy crop this fall.

Clean pots and flats and get some seedlings started if you haven’t already got them full somewhere indoors.

And speaking of indoors, water house plants sparingly and don’t fertilize until you see signs of active growth.

In the next column we’ll discuss the new USDA Hardiness Zone guide that was released last week.