A Garden in the Desert

A Garden in the Desert

Gardens have been planted in the Las Vegas valley for perhaps hundreds of years. Some evidence exists that Native Americans may have planted corn, squash and beans in the valley prior to the arrival of the first settlers in 1855. We know that the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) missionaries planted extensive gardens in the area below the fort on the site of what is now Cashman Center and the Grant Sawyer Building. Later, O. D. Gass and Helen Stewart expanded the gardens and added orchards to their ranches on this site. Among the many fruits and vegetables that we know were grown here are tomatoes, potatoes, melons, squash, apricots, grapes, and peaches. Other types of crops such as cotton, barley and wheat were also grown.

Today we grow the same crops that were grown here historically. The gardens are planted in the spring and fall and produce throughout the year. Each of the plots you see here are planted with a difference variety of fruit or vegetable.

As the Mormons discovered, the native soil in this valley is very poor. Park staff makes a lot of effort to amend the soil to be able to produce the quality and variety of crops that you see here. Without extensive efforts to amend the soil and control pests, the gardens at the old fort would not be nearly as successful as they are.