Vegetables Archives - Phoenix Gardening

How to Grow one of the Fastest Growing Vegetables: Radishes

Need a vegetable in a hurry? If so, Radishes are your go to veggie. These bright red root vegetables reach maturity within 3 weeks. They are one of the best vegetables for young gardeners to grow because they germinate so quickly. Radishes are part of the Brassicaceae family . These zesty tasting veggies are often used in salads or as garnishments. Interestingly every part of the radish plant is edible.

Radishes can thrive in your Phoenix garden. By following five basic steps Timing, Conditions, Companionship, Possible problems, and Harvesting; you can have tasty vegetables, herbs, and fruits in your Phoenix garden.

Phoenix Gardening Steps

Step One – Are radishes a cool or warm season vegetable? This determines the best time of year to plant.
Step Two: What do radishes need to grow? Like all plants, radishes need three basic things to survive: ideal soil conditions and the right amount of water & light
Step Three: What grows well near radishes and what doesn’t?
Step Four: Do your radishes look unhealthy? What could this mean?
Step Five: Harvesting radishes- When is the ideal time to pick radishes?

The Best Time to Plant Radishes in Phoenix

Radishes are cool season vegetables. In Phoenix, they can be planted from September 1 through April 15. Plant radish seeds 1/2″ under well-draining soil. Sow the seeds in rows one inch apart. Rows should be spaced 18″ apart.

What do Radishes Need to Grow?

Choose a spot in your yard where your radishes can flourish. Take into the light, soil, and water requirements.

Light Requirements: Radishes require full sun or about 6 hours of sun a day.

Soil Requirements: Prefers loamy well-drained soil, but radishes can also grow well in amended clay soils as well. Radishes like slightly acidic to neutral pH. The soil pH range of 6 to 7 is ideal.

Water Requirements: Radishes like well-drained soil. They need one inch of consistent watering each week.

Companion Plants for Radishes – What Grows Well Near Radishes & What Doesn’t?

Radishes like many different plants. You can plant them near beets, spinach, carrots, lettuce, bush and pole beans, cucumbers, and melons.

Don’t plant them near Hyssops or plants from the cabbage family.

Possible Pests & Diseases

If your radish splits it is usually due to a period of drought followed by watering too much to make up for that drought. Consistent watering schedule can help to avoid that from happening.

If you have gang buster growth, but it is all in the leaves this is usually due to the outdoor temperatures being too hot. Radishes grow quickly, but they don’t particularly like Phoenix summers.

When to Harvest Radishes

Most varieties of radishes are ready to harvest within 21 days. This means they can be planted from September through April in the low desert and you can grow a steady supply most of the year.

Grow One of the Best Sources of Vitamin A in Your Garden – Carrots

Plant Guide, Vegetables

Carrots are another great cool season vegetable with a long growing season in Phoenix. Carrots belong to the Apiaceae family. They are root vegetables, meaning the edible part of the plant is the carrot. Most people think of the color orange when they think of carrots, however carrots come in so many pretty colors.

Carrots can thrive in your Phoenix garden. By following five basic steps timing, conditions, companionship, possible problems, and harvesting; you can have tasty vegetables, herbs, and fruits in your Phoenix garden.

Phoenix Gardening Steps

Step One – Is lettuce a cool or warm season vegetable? This determines the best time of year to plant.
Step Two: What does lettuce need to grow? Like all plants, lettuce needs three basic things to survive: ideal soil conditions and the right amount of water & light
Step Three: What grows well near lettuce and what doesn’t?
Step Four: Does your lettuce look unhealthy? What could this mean?
Step Five: Harvesting lettuce- When is the ideal time to pick lettuce?

The Best Time to Plant Carrots in Phoenix

We love these cool season vegetables. Seedlings start emerging in a couple weeks making these a great veggie for kids to grow. In Phoenix this means you can start planting carrots in August and continue through April. On average carrots take 60-100 days to harvest.

Carrots are a cool season vegetable. In gardening timing is everything. Seeds can be planted from the end of August through the beginning of January. If starting by seeds plant seeds outdoors in September. Frost is most likely to occur between December through February, so remember to protect any tender plants from the frost.

Carrots have taproots and grow best through direct sow. Sow carrot seeds in rows about a foot apart. A half inch planting depth for carrots is ideal.

What do Carrots Need to Grow?

Choose a spot in your yard where your carrots can flourish. Take into consideration the light, soil, and water requirements.

Light Requirements: Carrots needs full sun or about 6 hours of sun a day.

Soil Requirements: Carrots like slightly acidic to neutral pH. The soil pH range of 5.8 to 6.8 is ideal.

Water Requirements: Carrots likes consistent moisture.

Companion Plants for Carrots- What Grows Well Near Carrots & What Doesn’t?

As part of the Apiaceae family carrots grow well with tomatoes, lettuce, chives, radishes and rosemary.

Carrots, however, do not like to be near dill.

When to Harvest Carrots in Phoenix

Carrots takes 60-100 days from the day of planting until harvest day.

At maturity carrot tops are 8-10 inches in height.

Grow Peas in Phoenix

Vegetables

Ready to grow some peas? Peas are part of the Legume family. You have three kinds of peas to choose from snow peas, English peas, and sugar snap peas.

Types of Peas

If you like stir fry, snow peas are the pea for you. They have a milder taste and flatter pod than the sugar snap pea.

English peas, also called garden peas or sweet peas, are shelled, and pods are removed before the peas are eaten.

Personally I love the crunch of a sugar snap pea, so these are a favorite in our garden. Sugar snap peas are the result of a cross between the other two peas. They are sweet and the pea as well as the pod can be eaten.

How to Plant & Grow Peas in Phoenix

Peas are a cool season vegetable. In gardening timing is everything. Seeds can be planted from the end of August through the beginning of January. If starting by seeds plant seeds outdoors in September. Frost is most likely to occur between December through February, so you may want to start outdoor seeds in late January.

Planting depth for peas is 2 inches. Plants should be spaced 2 inches apart.

Best Time to Plant

We love these cool season vegetables and by cool we mean peas love to be planted once the temperatures reaches below 70 degrees. In Phoenix this means we can usually start planting peas in mid-September through mid-February.

Companion Plants for Peas

As part of the legume family peas grow well with green beans, lettuce, spinach, basil, and carrots.

Peas, however, do not like to be near onions or garlic.

How to Care For Peas

Light Requirements: Peas needs full sun or about 6 hours of sun a day.

Soil Requirements: Prefers sandy, well-drained soil, but peas can also grow well in amended clay or sandy soils as well. Peas like neutral and slightly alkaline pH. The soil pH range of 6.5-7.5 is ideal.

Water Requirements: Peas likes consistent moisture.

When to Harvest Peas in Phoenix

Peas takes 60-130 days from the day of planting until harvest day. In Phoenix this means if peas were planted in mid January harvest times for sugar snap peas would be in March. If seeds were sown in September harvest times would be November.

At maturity pea plants have a spread of 8 inches and a height maturity of 18 inches. Fruit is about 3 inches.

Phoenix Gardening: What are Cool Season Vegetables?

Vegetables

Vegetables are divided into two groups warm season and cool season. Cool season vegetables, like their name implies, thrive when planted so they mature when temperatures are cooler. In Phoenix this means they should be planted at the end of summer or fall.

Cool season veggies can tolerate short term frost, so if the weather dips in January for a short period of time your cool season veggies will be ok.

If the temperature is too warm cool season plants will have a bitter taste or they will go to seed too soon.

Grow Cool Season Vegetables in Phoenix

Visual guide to planting cool season vegetables and fruits in your Phoenix garden. Some of our favorite cool season vegetables include: broccoli, carrots, onions, radishes, lettuce, and snap peas.

Plant Broccoli August 15 – January 15