[gunslinger256]

My sister is moving next month from NYC and has plans for the house that she's been fixing up for about a year.

She's planning on growing a garden but hasn't really looked at what she can grow. She would like to put some rain barrels in the backyard to catch a bit of rain when it falls but I was wondering if she should bother with average rainfall of 4 inches. I'm sure she can acquire a few rainbarrels for cheap, just not sure it's something that people bother doing just to capture some of the rain that does fall.

She told me that people wet their soil/sand to prevent it from blowing away in the heavy winds is this advisable? I've never heard of doing it and it seems like it wouldn't be much help if it evaporates relatively quickly in the sun.

I've never been to LV but will be visiting her in the next year or so depending on my work schedule.

[LRWalker]

Rain barrels would be unproductive. There just isn't enough rain. The water would evaporate before it could be used. As far as watering the dirt, we are in a drought and this would be wasteful. People in Las Vegas put in desert landscapes which includes gravel and rocks which keep the dirt from blowing away. It is available from Star Nursery for as little as 28.50 a ton. Mulch is also used.

[ScoopLV]

The ideal situation would be to irrigate with gray water from the house. But that would require extensive plumbing modifications. It's cost prohibitive.

My mother in law has an orchard. And we have a tiny version of her orchard. And neither of us have large water bills. Ours (with a whole house RO system) is $40 per month.

What you DON'T want is grass. That sucks up the water and gives you nothing in return -- nothing nutritional, at least. Unless you have backyard sheep.

[gunslinger256]

she doesn't plan on having grass but wants to grow some fruits (grapes, lemons, oranges etc) and vegetables.

She wants to recycle some of her gray water and we were thinking if she had a rain barrel that she could just dump the gray water in there when there's no rain. I'm confident that I can help her design a drip irrigation system that can use either city water or rain barrel water but she's got plenty of time to figure things out.

[ScoopLV]

It's just not worth it to catch rain water. If it was, I'd do so. It will evaporate faster than you can collect it.

Frankly, she needs to actually live here a year before she designs any kind of water system. She's not thinking like she's living in the Mojave.

[cre8lite]

Plant Search

this might help narrow the field as to what does/does not do well here

[skugelstadt]

I have rain barrels. When it does rain, it rains pretty hard (large rain drops) my rain barrels fill up pretty quickly from roof runoff. If you have tight fitting lids, the water won't evaporate and the lids help keep algae at bay (I have dark blue barrels). During the summer, the water in the barrels get quite warm.

[Caltovegas]

Yup if she hasn't experienced a Las Vegas Spring-Fall don't make plans. The heat can be brutal.

[KonaKat]

Originally Posted by gunslinger256

she doesn't plan on having grass but wants to grow some fruits (grapes, lemons, oranges etc) and vegetables.

She wants to recycle some of her gray water and we were thinking if she had a rain barrel that she could just dump the gray water in there when there's no rain. I'm confident that I can help her design a drip irrigation system that can use either city water or rain barrel water but she's got plenty of time to figure things out.

It is way too hot there for citrus trees. Grapes will do okay though, I had some when I lived there. It's a desert with no rain, and when it does rain it's usually either a sprinkle or a 100 year flood.

Roses do well in Las Vegas, oddly enough.

If she loves gardening I'm afraid she's in for a disappointment. The dirt is worthless pretty much so not only would you have to water excessively you'd have to buy enough topsoil to give the plants something to grow in.

A few ornamentals and yes, one can have some landscaping besides cactus and a bunch of ugly rocks. And a little bit of lawn area is very appealing to the eye.

[Tornado Baby]

Please advise your sister to acclimate to the desert first. There are so many really nice drought resistant options for landscaping, but it is best to know what is here first before transplanting. She will be fine, but one step at a time! Lemon trees will do well if in the right places.