Thanks to our mild winters, gardening in Arizona is nearly year round. Find out what to plant in Phoenix, Arizona and the best time of year to grow vegetables, flowers, fruit, shrubs, vines and trees.
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Arizona Gardening Overview
Whether you live in the desert, the coast or anywhere in between the gardening basics are the same. However, when you plant and what you plant is going to depend on where you live. Each area has it’s challenges.
- Gardening in Arizona Challenges
- Growing Zones
- What to Plant
- Month by Month Planting Guide
- Vegetable Planting Schedule When to Plant Vegetables (year overview).
Gardening in Arizona Challenges
- Short growing season
- Intense heat
Short Growing Season
Phoenix, Arizona’s vegetable growing season is shorter than other milder climates due to the extreme summer temperatures. This can present a challenge when growing cool season vegetables because they prefer milder temperatures.
In addition to our hot summers we do occasionally get frost. If your plants are not covered this can damage or kill them.
Intense Summer Heat
To combat the challenge of the intense heat in Phoenix, choose heat-tolerant plant varieties and quick-maturing crops. Planting varieties that are quick to mature allows you to harvest your crops before the most extreme heat or the first frost arrives.
Unless the plant is native, very few plants can handle full sun in Phoenix. Even if the plant tag says full sun, most plants need afternoon shade in Phoenix. There are some exceptions, for example bougainvillea and lantana do well in full sun.
How to combat the intense heat:
- Choose heat tolerant plant varieties
- Choose vegetable varieties with quick maturing crops.
- Provide afternoon shade for plants
Growing Zones
Understanding the gardening growing zones helps to explain the importance of choosing the right plants and varieties of plants for your geographical location.
If you’re in Phoenix your USDA gardening zone is 9b.
Gardening in Arizona: What to Plant in Phoenix & When to Plant
Spring and Fall are the primary planting times in the low-desert of Arizona. Plant cool season vegetables September through January. Plant warm season vegetables February through May. The months of September through May are the ideal time to plant vegetables, herbs, and flowers in Phoenix. There are a few warm season vegetables and flowers you can grow in the summer months as well.
Gardening in Arizona: General Planting Guidelines
- Plant citrus trees September through March.
- Flowers October through April.
- Bulbs in November.
- Plant herbs September through March.
- Bare root roses in January and February.
- Shrubs September through April.
- Fall is the best season to plant trees in Phoenix. Planting trees in the fall help the tree develop strong roots before the summer heat arrives.
- Plant vegetables September through March.
- Vines in September through April.
Vegetables can be planted September through March
Plant vines in the fall and spring.
Arizona Gardening Monthly Plant Guides
Monthly plant guides for growing and gardening in Arizona. Find out what vegetables, herbs and flowers to plant each month, what to harvest and what flowers are blooming.
When to Plant Vegetables in Phoenix – Year Overview
Vegetables are divided into two groups: warm season and cool season. Cool season vegetables can be planted in the fall. In Phoenix you can start cool season vegetables in September and warm season vegetables in February.
Planting Calendar for Phoenix: Grow Warm Season Vegetables
A guide to planting warm season vegetables and fruits in your Phoenix or zone 9b garden. Some of our favorite warm season vegetables include: green beans, cucumbers, melons, peppers, eggplants, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, and zucchini.
Planting Calendar for Phoenix: Cool Season Vegetables
Guide to planting cool season vegetables and fruits in your Phoenix or zone 9b garden. Plant cool-season vegetables mid-September in the low desert.
Some popular cool-season vegetables include root vegetables like carrots, radishes, turnips, onions, potatoes, radishes, parsnips, and garlic.
Cabbage family plants like broccoli and cauliflower are cool season vegetables. Peas, lettuce, spinach, kale and artichokes prefer the cooler temps too.
Harvesting in Gardening Zone 9b
Depending on when you started planting your garden and if you stagger planting your crops you can expect to harvest from your Phoenix garden almost every month of the year.
