I usually start the tomatoes early in the season and plant in my planter box with a dripper, only give them one shot of fertlizer when they are a foot high and always have great success, I also stake them well and use cages to protect from the desert windstorms. Tomatoes love the desert sun and grow well in Vegas. By late October I rip them out and get ready for the next year.

I am so happy to have found this forum, although Nevada is a big state covering many zones. I am in Northern NV not too far from Carson City.

I am only now going to be putting my tomatos in the ground--we had a killing frost last week so I am glad I didn't do it sooner.

My plants do great, but I always end up with a lot of green tomatos in Fall. I will also be planting some beans, snow peas, melons, cukes, pumpkins, peppers and a few rows of corn. I haven't had a "big" garden in 10 years, but I need something to reduce my urge to stress eat.

I agree that I can buy a lot of produce for what it costs to grow my garden, but I love being out there checking the progress everyday. We usually get enough of the smaller tomatos to make it worthwhile.

The beans and snow peas always do very well and flowers do the best.

I have had lots of tomatoes in my raised vegetable beds last year. This year I didn't plant as many varieties as I had tons of tomatoes until January. Yes, January!! I picked the "many" green ones off in November...put them in baskets and let them ripen on their own-still good....then I pulled the plants out after...gave the red ones to neighbors for Christmas. I use a drip mist system, put in fertilizer and worked it into the beds before I planted. We are going to build some shade shelters (with rebar/pvc pipes and lattice & shade cloth)to keep the hot heat and winds away from the garden. A little late in building them but better late then never. Lots of early girls are turning...can't remember what else I planted but all of the plants are doing well. Most have cages to keep them up. That's it though.

Beca