I just wrapped up my first year of gardening in the Mojave Desert, specifically in the Las Vegas Valley. I watched as plants sizzled in the sun after one missed watering, and most of my vegetables simply gave up on life as temperatures topped 115 degrees in May. But one plant I put into the ground, as a curious experiment, was a surprising success: the Long Island cheese pumpkin. And it turns out, adaptable heirlooms like this squash might be the key to not just gardening in the desert, but…
