Nevada has no single sowing date for Asian greens. They are cool-season crops, so the work happens in two windows: early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked, and late summer into fall. The state spans USDA hardiness zones 4a to 10a, which means your window may open months before or after a gardener’s in another part of Nevada. The only frost data this page carries comes from Las Vegas.
The short answer for Nevada
Sow Asian greens in Nevada in two windows: a spring sowing timed to finish before summer heat arrives, and a fall sowing timed back from your first fall frost. Which calendar dates those windows land on depends on where you garden, and this page does not have a verified statewide date to hand you.
The one set of frost figures available here comes from the Las Vegas airport station, using NOAA’s U.S. Climate Normals for 1991-2020. For that station, the last spring frost falls between January 7 and February 1, and the first fall frost between December 8 and December 23. Both are probabilities, not guarantees. They describe the band in which the chance of a 32°F freeze sits between 30% and 70%. Inside that band, a freeze is anywhere from unlikely-but-possible to a coin flip or better.
Do not read those dates as a Nevada planting window. The Las Vegas airport sits in a desert urban heat island, which makes it one of the mildest frost records in the state. Reno, Carson City and anywhere at elevation get their first frost months earlier in fall and their last one later in spring. A gardener in those places who copied the Las Vegas dates would be sowing into a deep freeze.
How the two windows work
Spring sowing is a race. Bok choy, tatsoi, mizuna and their relatives want cool soil and moderate days, and they bolt (send up a flower stalk) when heat and long days arrive together. Sow as early as the ground is workable, and the crop has to be eating-size before that switch flips.
Fall sowing works in reverse. You count backward from your first expected frost so the plants reach harvest size while days are still shortening and nights are cooling. Most Asian greens tolerate light frost, and many taste better after it. A hard freeze is the limit.
For the low desert, the Las Vegas record shows what that implies: the coldest month still averages a daily minimum of 39.6°F at the reference station. That is a mean daily minimum, not a record low, and it means winter in the low desert is a growing season rather than a shutdown. Where varieties fit each window is covered in The Best Asian Greens for Nevada.
What will not work here
Summer sowing in the low desert fails. The Las Vegas record puts the first fall frost in December, so the cool stretch is real, but it begins well after the hottest months. Seed pushed into the ground during those months either struggles to germinate in hot soil or comes up and bolts almost immediately. The fix is patience: wait for the heat to break.
Copying a calendar from another state also fails. A guide written for the Midwest or the Pacific Northwest assumes a frost date, a rainfall pattern and a day length that Nevada does not share. Nevada is dry nearly everywhere, and a bed that stays damp on its own in other regions needs deliberate watering here.
Weekly watering is another way to lose a crop. Asian greens have shallow roots and grow fast, and a dry bed with a long gap between soakings stresses them into bolting or bitterness. In a dry climate, the seedling row needs the surface kept evenly moist until the plants are established, which can mean watering more than once a day in warm spells. After that, frequent shallow watering still beats a weekly deep one.
Sowing in spring at elevation as if it were Las Vegas is a quieter mistake. Because the state runs from zone 4a to 10a, a northern or high garden can hold frost long after a southern one has warmed. Seed sown too early sits cold and wet, rots or stalls, and the gardener blames the seed. Row cover helps with a late frost, but it does not rescue a planting made months too soon.
And the slowest Asian greens are a gamble where the season is short. Anywhere the frost-free stretch is limited, a variety that needs a long run to size up may never get it. Quick leafy types such as mizuna and tatsoi are safer bets. Larger heading types need more room on the calendar than a short season may allow, which is the case for matching type to place in Growing Asian Greens in Nevada.
What changes across Nevada
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023 edition (built on 1991-2020 normals), lists Nevada at 4a to 10a. That is six full zones. The system rests on one variable, the average annual extreme minimum temperature, so it tells you about winter survival rather than about the length of your growing season. Still, a spread that wide means no single answer exists for the state.
| Part of Nevada | What to expect | What to shift |
|---|---|---|
| Low desert (Las Vegas area) | Mild winters; frost arrives in December and leaves by early in the year, per the airport record | Treat fall through early spring as the main season; avoid summer sowing |
| Reno and Carson City | Frost comes months earlier in fall and lingers later in spring than at the Las Vegas airport | Narrower windows; start fall sowings sooner and watch spring frost |
| Higher elevation | The same pattern, more pronounced | Favor fast, small-growing types and protect with row cover |
The practical lesson for northern and high-elevation readers is to move both windows. Fall sowing starts earlier, because your first frost comes earlier. Spring sowing starts later, because your last frost comes later. The windows are shorter, and quick-maturing greens earn their place.
Which zone you live in is not something this page can tell you. The USDA map lets you enter a ZIP code and read off your zone. Do that first, then treat it as winter-hardiness context rather than a sowing date.
Where to check this for your own county
Your state extension service is the best next stop. In Nevada, that is University of Nevada, Reno Extension, the land-grant extension listed in the USDA NIFA directory. Its county offices work with local conditions every day, which no statewide page can match.
Look for two things. The first is a local planting calendar for vegetables in your county, ideally one that names cool-season crops and gives spring and fall sowing dates. The second is a record of which varieties have been grown or trialed in your county. A variety that performs in one valley can bolt or sulk in the next, and the local trial record shows you which ones have been tested where you live.
Be clear about what this page is. It is the state-level view, built from one verified frost record and a hardiness range. A county recommendation beats it every time, because it rests on local frost records, local soils and local advice. If the county source disagrees with anything here, follow the county source.
If you call or visit, bring your approximate elevation and your town. Those two facts will change the answer you get more than anything else.
Checking this against your own garden
Your own observations outrank every date on this page. Three things are worth watching, and none of them needs a tool.
- Soil warmth by feel. In early spring, push your hand into the bed in the morning. If the soil feels cold and clammy, seed will sit. If it feels cool but not chilling, you are in the window. Beds with a south-facing wall warm sooner, which tells you where your warm microclimate is.
- The first flush of male flowers. When early squash or cucurbit plants in your neighborhood start producing male flowers, warm weather has arrived in earnest. For Asian greens, that is the signal that the spring sowing season is over.
- The first true leaves. After a seedling’s first pair of seed leaves, the second set shows whether it is growing steadily or stalling. Slow, pale or leggy growth means your conditions, such as heat, cold or dry soil, are off for that sowing.
Keep a note of the date and what you saw. After a season or two, those notes will tell you more about your own garden than any state calendar can.
Common questions
Can I use the Las Vegas frost dates for anywhere in Nevada?
No. The Las Vegas airport figures reflect a desert urban heat island and are among the mildest in the state. Reno, Carson City and higher ground frost months earlier in fall and later in spring.
What do the frost dates on this page actually mean?
They come from NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals for Las Vegas and mark the band where the chance of a 32°F freeze is between 30% and 70%. January 7 to February 1 is the spring band, and December 8 to December 23 is the fall band. They describe odds, not a certain date.
Is there one best sowing date for the whole state?
No. Nevada spans USDA zones 4a to 10a, so the windows differ widely. This page does not have verified dates for Reno, Carson City or higher elevations, so check with your county extension office.
Do Asian greens survive Nevada winters?
Many tolerate light frost, and the coldest month in the Las Vegas record averages a daily minimum of 39.6°F. A hard freeze is another matter, and hardiness zones tell you about winter cold, not about how long your growing season lasts.