Most Successful Vegetable Garden in Las Vegas Desert Yields 600 lbs of Tomatoes a Day 

I am in Fresno, CA. I grew Malabar spinach for the first time this year because I saw you growing it, and it is going crazy. 111 degrees today and it is unphased by the full sun 7+ hours a day. I water twice a day only 15min each time. One 1 gal drip emitter per square foot in raised beds filled with Peat Moss, vermiculite, perlite, gaia green rock dust, azomite rock dust, and home made compost.

Can't believe I'm just now seeing this after all these years! BOTH you and Leslie (the little Minx) were in rare form...hiilarious!

Thank you. It's good to know that things grow in las vegas. Thank you for giving me hope.

Thanks for taking us back to the Tomato Lady's Garden. It is amazing how well everything is growing in the desert.

"Her nice huge bush"...I swear I'm not 12 but that just cracked me up! Thanks for putting together a great video of stuff that can grow in the desert.

Wood chips are a great resource. I would start piling them up and letting them compost down to build your soil. I also agree with the no till methods.

You two are a sweet couple! Experience and enthusiasm make a great combo!

You seem like a very genuine person and I enjoy watching your videos thanks for all the wonderful information 😊

I live in Las Vegas. Like your tips. Want to have a successful garden. Thanks for all the tips you offer!

John's work is refreshing. Real, practical but very sophisticated and progressive from a horticultural standpoint. I'm impressed.

Another great video John! Leslie is pretty cool and I plan on checking out her videos. Thanks for posting this video and all your other ones.

I really enjoyed this video, John you were in raw form, Naughty and funny at the same time!! One of your best ever! Thank you!

I loved that you showed a thriving plot of purselane. I have really been in love with the idea (and flavor) of purselane, and thought it would be a pleasing ground cover. For anyone who does not know, it is a common weed, easy to find, and very tasty and nutritious.

Seen a few videos from this gentleman now, I must say I really appreciate his enthusiasm and messages. I hope that the production quality may improve in the near future because I think that would increase the channel's reach and impact. Peace and keep up the amazing work. The passion is easily identified over here.

My garden ( in Las Vegas) is crazy big right now. With not much planted :)

Yes, I have tried ground lava rocks. There is an excellent product available in las vegas called it'llgrow. I have also used zeolite in the garden.

Just planted my "home depot" garden. Built a box, filled with Miracle Gro and local soil. I am sure I will regret having used the MG stuff but I am just a beginner with a red thumb of death. Hoping to get some tomatoes and carrots, low expectations. Loving these vids, they help so much.

great video john. you always have great info... I love leslie for all the great help she gives people. I had an awesome garden this year here in Las Vegas

I live in Pueblo, Colorado and I pretty much live in the desert. My soil is heavily clay and there is nothing growing around here except some sage brush I think that's what they are. I am planning on starting with a single raised bed with a drip system (probably nothing fancy), and a soil mixture that has 1/3 ratio for compost, Vermiculite, Coconut Coir, Organic of course or at least OMRI listed.

I am moving to Las Vegas (from the SF Bay Area) later this month, so THANK YOU so much for this video and all of the information you share on this channel. I am doing my research in order to grow on my balcony. I am so excited to finally have a spot to container garden. I plan to make Leslie one of my first visits after settling into the LV area! Does anyone know if the information contained in her books will be beneficial to someone who plans to container garden in the area rather than having a traditional garden?

Good video. Searching through the transcript helps soooo much! well done.

I have to tell you, John, thanks so much for the info about cherry tomatoes. My husband planted normal large tomatoes and they have only had one or two tomatoes so far. My cherry tomatoes have fresh tomatoes everyday. I can't get over it. I pick about 10 to 20 of them everyday. So many we can't eat them all everyday. Also mine is about 6 feet tall.

you really got into leslies bush

I did verify with Leslie the 600 pounds a day figure, and you heard it from HER mouth. I have not personally weighed all her tomatoes, but believe her. Now she didn't say she harvest 600 pounds EVERY day of the season. That's at peak season. When I visited she harvested at least 100 pounds that day, which I did see for my own eyes. I can say for sure that she has thousands of pounds of unripe tomatoes sitting on the vines when I visited.

love those almonds ,guavas and pomegranates!

nice video John, yes the malabar even does well in the midwest getting close to collecting seeds very soon..

Hello John l live in vegas in this video you said its not a good idea to trellis your tomatoes in vegas, last year no problem i used the single stem method with no problems, which i did this year and yes it cooked them well done so you live and learn guess i got lucky the first time so are you saying just cage them and dont take the suckers off let it grow example using hawaiin tropics

Wow, that is a great garden and lots of good information. Another great video and another great guest. Leslie has a great sense of humor and is a fun guest. Keep up the good work John.

Happy ending! Made me smile! ;) Thanks!

I want to have a garden like that some day, having chickens would be nice too for fresh eggs, right now I have a 12x14 raised bed so I’ll be able to pull plenty out of that for now but what a killer garden

Thanks John that was a sweet lady great tips

Just to add to this video:oranges, lemons, and limes do grow well here. My inlaws planted a few trees in their backyard several years ago and every year they give us pounds and pounds of sweet and delicious citrus each year.

You should really propose your show to the Discovery Channel or HGTV. I would so much prefer learning about gardening than watching another Swamp people or Design on a dime. It's a life skill that can actually be applied! I think it would be great if you could go through the different plants, ways of maintaining them, and beautiful gardens around the world.

How do I contact the tomato lady for dirt? Very helpful video thank you very much.

Can you post her information please? I couldn't hear her very well because she is soft spoken. Great Lady!

Thank You. We're all up Early!

'Oh so large!' We love you John. (:

The entire almond "fruit" is edible and eaten in many cultures, it's not just the nut inside! The trick it to pick it earlier on when the hard nut coating is still soft and the nut inside has a "jelly" texture. The whole thing taste sour and delicious and can be purchased in Armenian/ Arabic produce stores when it's in season.

Las Vegas. Do you start seeds in November , December we get small transplants here in Imperial county,Ca in January. Feb and transplant the small seedling which grow till lateJuly. We still have a little cherries left on our drying vines..

whats up john want to start a garden this year tried to start last year but found out i have more limestone rock than soil i live in the Bahamas what do you think grow well here in the Bahamas oh and i love your videos

Water restrictions now in Las Vegas and other place out there people needs to use their water from the bath tub, sinks, and washing machine to water the gardens

I'm totally guilty of not labeling lol...I have about three kinds of squash (and two of cucumber) that I can not really differentiate...motivating me to start a garden journal!! I'm just glad I know it is all edible...

"what's growing on" lol. I like it.

Thanks a ton for this vid. I'll be moving to the Vegas area next year and I was worried about what I could grow and not die on me =)

nice vid man thanks for all the info and all the laughs,

Can you make update video on her house?

Haha! Loved the ending! You two are fun together. :-) I hope for all good things for you John, you seem like a great man. :-)

Hi Guys. Mike here from South Africa and was hoping thatsomebody could answer me this question. How many generations of seeded growth does it take before the original chemically assisted plant can be classified as an organic plant down the line again? I have heard via the grapvine (lol) that 3 generations (4th growth season) is safe to call organic again...

60 seconds in and I am now subscribed

Love your channel we live on a backyard farm and are going to expand it this year.

Interesting metallic mulch. ;-)

With that many tomato plants, I don't suppose she goes around and pulls off suckers and lower leaves. Since these are primary tips most gardeners tell you is a must, how does hers do so well? What's the difference? Sun, soil and moisture is a constant with every gardener.

Great video! ty for sharing. Living mulch!!!! thumbs up!

your great !!!, what kind of soil should i use and whats the best way to keep them watered where there isn't much water and last thing what kind of methods should i use to repel insects .Thanks a lot

Don't try to experiment in the desert? I'm growing bananas in Las Vegas and they are doing great :)

"This is going in", hahaha! He just keeps saying it, lol!

Honestly, I watch all your videos for my gardening education. Today, however, I am just watching this to escape from all the insane political programming people are repeating and spouting off about. You are a super optimistic, super realistic, super relevant, non controversial escape from the insanity of the rest of American media. Thank you for being so relentlessly enthusiastic and optimistic and encouraging about the earth, actual reality, life on this planet, etc. Thanks, man. Thanks.

I am in zone 6, Pennsylvania, and while some of our climate at times makes me think I'm in the desert, most of this won't apply to me. I did watch the entire video though, you are very enthusiastic about gardening and I can't help but watch. BUT, I was wondering what your thoughts on this "Back to Eden" movement that is going on. I can get free chipped trees from my township, in fact they were thrilled I asked for them, but I can't help wanting to till my garden. What do you think about it?

Great video John you guys are both great I also gad a gr

What are your raised beds made from--what company makes them? Thanks for responding!

Gotta love John. Total nerd. but this dude is dedicated. He goes everywhere on the west coast and beyond. I would love to see him go to vietnam, morocco, or israel and do videos on the food forest and innovative farming being done there

I'm jealous, my pomegranate trees are 8 inches high (from seed). Very impressive garden overall!

I am in Southern CA, San Bernardino county, so not quite as dry as NV. Will the books be applicable for my area? I like to produce a lot of heirloom to sell.

0:55 I think you beat the record for world 's fastest talker.

question i dont know anything about garden but i want to start my own at home, when u harvest a tomato when u pull a tomato does a new one grow in its place or u have to plant all over again when u harvest that plant

Hey there, Need some advice please. I have some tomatoes growing for the past two months or so. and they are doing great generally. They have a lot of blossoms for a while now but only 2 fruit have set. I have been tapping them to aid in pollination and I have seen some bees around as well but the fruit isn't setting. They have been watered pretty well, but not too much because my country is currently in a drought. The rains have been coming in a bit now so we haven't been wetting them as much, but the soil isn't bone dry or anything. The temperature here is around 29-33 deg C daily right now and the humidity is around 70%. Do you know why the fruits aren't setting? ♡Thanks in advance!♡

John did you ever contemplate becoming an auctioneer? ; )

Hi Mr"O So Large"... j/k this is a great video. I would never think to water 9 times a day. I live in Glendora, CA What's good to start here? I just started brandy wine seeds in doors and lemon cucumbers, and a peruvian pepper. All seed. What do you think ?

First you talk about her "big bush" then you talk about how "big" you are and then you tell leslie "this is going in" WOW, you are having entirely too much fun with leslie!

I don't know water prices in Las Vegas, but where I live in the desert of Southern California, if I watered that much, my water bill would be at least $500 a month. Maybe more.

That was an sexy and productive episode!

At 30:40 ish you are talking about a plant that I see everywhere here, and I even see people selling it at the farmers market. I've heard it's name spoken a lot but I was wondering if you could spell it out so that I can do my own research on it.

way to give advice to the preppers out there! i am very lucky i have a big abandoned pecan orchard just down the street. no one harvests them but me! nut tree's are a must have if you want some good eats during the winter.

oh also john did she the tomatoe lady have shade cloth above you in that video

nuts like almonds are fairly prone to Aspergillus infections that produces aflatoxin. hence i can understand the governments rules about pasteurizing or treating nuts, but yes, growing yr own is always better

Here in Albuquerque we are in zone 7a (altitude 5280 ft). Taos is zone 6. Our summer temps are high and we freeze around the end of October. Please differentiate between high desert conditions (Albuquerque, Denver, Flagstaff) and low desert conditions. I can only dream of Meyer lemons in my garden.

fun and interesting....

awesome,thanks.

Haha. Is that an Eggplant in your pocket? Funny guy.

Where is the best place to go for organic foods that is grown here?

I thought all almonds in the US were treated with Irradiation

With the drought going on is it smart to be watering so much for a few tomatoes that you can purchase? I was thinking of tomatoes but thanks for reminding me of the reality of living in Vegas.

great!

Haven't you heard, older is sweeter!

Woe. I m listening

Once again another great video! You should however consider a lapel mic. or something. Keep the fantastic videos a comin'!

Wondered what those damn trees were. I think almond are tasty but the buds are awful for allergy sufferers.

How many ton of tomato can yield per acre and how long?

Hey scheivert532, I have a good read for you. Buy or check out of your library, the book "Four Season Harvest" by Eliot Coleman. He lives in Maine (zone 5) and successfully harvests vegetables year-round. I think you will enjoy the book. I did. He also wrote "The New Organic Grower". I haven't read it yet, but I am sure it is a good book also. His wife is also an author on gardening.

now that is a nice front yard i would not nimd being her neighbor

Gold

I feel the same way,except, where you had put the word American in the post, I insert the word Australian....

25:29 Enough with the knob gags, already! haha.

You could turn your volume down.

There is a horse feed micro nutrient supplement called "Source" which is seaweed. I think there should be some great use for it either to feed plants, or to add to our own diet in smoothies or soups. John, have you heard of it? It is expensive, but I'd hope that it could be valuable in tiny amounts. What do you think of that?

To spottedground: I think that would be purslane

WOW A GREAT VIDEO J.K, LESLIE I AM IN AZ YOU SHOULD START SELLING YOUR "TOMATO" SEEDS FOR ALL......

I will like to buy some vegetables & fruits, it is possible, I living in Vegas. Thank you!!!

I was more interested in verifying her email address, I found the RU-vid Channel no problem but no contact information there either.

Good point, and one I noted above. Those tomatoes probably cost her $10 per pound to grow. Lake Mead is getting sucked dry and is at a drought level.