Years of backyard growing, hundreds of photos, and hard-won lessons — shared for beginners who want to grow their own fruits and vegetables in the Valley heat.
Tomatoes and peppers should already be in. May is your last shot to get heat-lovers — okra, Armenian cucumber, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, basil — into the ground before the summer pause. Mulch deep, water at sunrise, and plan your fall garden now.
See May Planting Guide →
It started on the side of my house — a narrow strip of Arizona sun and stubborn soil — and turned into one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I've grown tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, cucumbers, herbs, and more, learning what actually works in our two desert growing seasons.
This site is everything I wish I'd had when I started: real photos from real grows, Phoenix-specific timing, and honest notes on what worked and what didn't.
Unlike most of the country, Phoenix gardeners don't plant in spring and harvest in fall. We work around the summer heat with two distinct windows. Click a season to learn more.
This is our most forgiving and productive season. As temperatures drop from brutal summer highs, the Valley transforms into a gardener's paradise. Cool-season crops thrive, and you can often harvest well into February.
What grows well:
Spring is our warm-season window — plant too late and the summer heat shuts everything down by June. Start in January and you'll be harvesting tomatoes and peppers by May. Timing is everything.
What grows well:
When temperatures hit 110°F+, most vegetables simply stop producing — or die. This isn't a failure. It's Phoenix. Summer is when you plan, prep your soil, and let your perennials rest.
What actually survives summer:
💡 Pro tip: Use summer to amend your soil with compost. Fall planting will thank you.
Timing is everything. Plant too late and the heat wins. Here's the exact window — and the varieties that actually thrive in the Valley.
Read the guide →
These summer crops feel right at home in Phoenix heat — if you get the timing and watering right. My most reliable spring producers.
Read the guide →
Lettuce, kale, spinach, chard — fall is Phoenix's salad season. Learn how to keep a steady harvest going from October through February.
Read the guide →A free Facebook group for backyard gardeners growing in the Valley of the Sun. Share what's working, ask the questions only desert gardeners ask, and swap photos of what you're harvesting.
Join the Group on FacebookEverything specific to the low desert — timing, soil, water, and varieties that actually work here.
Month-by-month guide to what to plant, when, and what to harvest.
🍅 When to Plant Tomatoes in PhoenixThe January planting window, best varieties, and how to beat the heat.
🌱 Raised Bed Gardening in PhoenixWhy raised beds work so well in the desert, and how to set one up.
🪨 Amending Desert Soil for VegetablesFix Phoenix caliche and alkaline clay so vegetables actually thrive.
💧 Watering a Phoenix Vegetable GardenDrip irrigation, watering frequency, and beating summer evaporation.
🥬 Growing Greens in Phoenix WinterLettuce, kale, spinach, and arugula from October through April.
🌿 Phoenix Beginner Vegetable GardenStart here: the easiest crops, the right timing, and common beginner mistakes.
🗺️ What Gardening Zone is Phoenix?Zone 9b/10a explained — and why heat matters more than cold here.
🗓️ What to Plant in Phoenix in JanuaryJanuary is tomato month — don't miss the window.
🗓️ What to Plant in Phoenix in OctoberFall planting season starts — the easiest time to grow food in the desert.