Seed Starting Calendar for Nevada

Count back from the median last frost where you garden. At Reno (Reno Tahoe Intl Airport) that date is April 20, so for spring 2027 onions start indoors Jan 12 to Jan 26, peppers Feb 23 to Mar 9 and tomatoes Mar 2 to Mar 16. Across Nevada's 107 NOAA stations the median last frost runs from Jan 31 to Jun 11 for the middle 90 percent, so a garden near Jiggs 2NE starts later than one near Laughlin.

It depends on the station. The earliest median last spring freeze in Nevada is January 5 at Laughlin; the latest is June 16 at Jiggs 2NE. A median is a coin flip: at Reno the last 32°F freeze comes after April 20 in half of years, and has passed by May 5 in 9 of 10 years (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals).

UNH Extension sets tomatoes out 1 to 2 weeks after the last frost, which at Reno is Apr 27 to May 4 in 2027. Tomatoes are frost tender, so the date to watch is May 5, when 9 of 10 springs at Reno have had their last 32°F night. Hardening off starts two weeks before setting out (Apr 13 to Apr 27).

University of Nevada, Reno Extension publishes planting months by region (Northern Area, Southern Nevada). For Northern Area, tomatoes go in during May and June. Seeds for transplants go in 4 to 10 weeks ahead of those months, depending on the crop.

University of Nevada, Reno Extension's Northern Area (Reno) Planting Schedule puts it this way: "We'll tell you the earliest dates to plant vegetables in the spring and the last dates that you can plant for a fall harvest, based on average frost dates for the Reno area." The guide is linked below with the date it was read (September 21, 2026).

UNH Extension gives 8 to 10 weeks from seed to transplant for both, and sets peppers out 2 weeks after the last frost and eggplant 2 to 3 weeks after, so the sowing date is 6 to 8 weeks before the median last frost. At Reno that is Feb 23 to Mar 9 for peppers.

About two weeks. University of Missouri Extension: "Hardening should be started about two weeks before planting in the garden." University of Minnesota Extension adds that seedlings should go out on a cloudy day or in the late afternoon.

Las Vegas reaches its median last frost around Jan 24, Reno around Apr 20, Tonopah around Apr 30, and Elko and Ely in the Great Basin not until about May 29 and Jun 12. Each station carries its own dates: Las Vegas Jan 24 and Ely Yelland Field Airport Jun 12 at the median.