Best Vegetables to Grow in Arizona for Every Season

Arizona is home to different climates in which gardening seems challenging but by choosing the right vegetable and following the right process you can plant some healthy and juicy vegetables.

For the Best vegetables to grow in Arizona, you can choose warm-season crops which include, tomatoes, eggplant, and okra etc. While cool-season vegetables include, carrots, kale, and lettuce, etc. For each of these vegetables you need to choose the right variety that suits the climate of Arizona.

In the blog below we listed some of the common vegetables that suit different weather conditions in Arizona. So let’s get to it.

What are the Best Vegetables to Grow in Arizona:

Due to the home of the different climates, Arizona can be challenging to grow vegetables. Arizona’s climate contains, mild winters with hot summers along with low humidity. To grow and be successful in planting vegetables you need to first choose a vegetable, then select a variety, and then choose the perfect climate and condition for its to thrive.

Below we provide you the data that we have been collecting from different farmers and gardeners in Arizona, and provide you a detailed guide and list of vegetables that you can easily grow in Arizona. So no matter where do you live in Arizona we discus and listed every type of climate of Arizona.

Cool Season and Warm Season Vegetables:

For planting any vegetable you should know which type of vegetable is it.

Warm Season

Some vegetables need heat and bright sunlight which is why they grow in warm seasons. The warm season is the time or months when the sun is at its full strength and the temperature is high. These season usually start from spring to late summer.

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Cool Season:

The cool season vegetables are those vegetables that are grown in cool months when the temperature is low and the weather is cold. These seasons include fall to winter, also include early spring.

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Warm Season Vegetable to Grow in Arizona:

Now What vegetables grow in Arizona summer? Well there are a lot of vegetable that grow in Arizona summer in which the most common one are listed below

Bell Pepper:

Bell pepper is one the suitable vegetables to grow in Arizona because it likes the heat and needs about 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day, for which Arizona’s long days are just perfect.

For planting you need to plant its seeds in small pots to protect them from extreme sun and later you can transplant it when it gets old enough.

Varieties: It has different varieties but to grow in Arizona you should either choose, red Beauty, or Californian Wonder because they like heat and have heat resistance capability.

Chili Peppers:

Chilli peppers are warm-climate vegetables that’s why they will be just fine in the hot and dry climate of Arizona. You can start planting chili pepper in January to February when planting in pots but if you plant sowing directly into soil then can planting in till then end of march.

Varieties: it has many varieties but for Arizona, I would suggest going with Anaheim’s, jalapenos, or serrano because they are recommended to grow in Arizona.

Tomatoes:

Tomatoes are one of the top and best warm-season crops that are grown all over Arizona state because it is heat tolerant. It usually start planting in early spring. During its germination stage you need to covered it from heat only for that stage.

Varieties: It has many varieties but I would recommend using Heatmaster, Solar Fire, or Phoenix.

Eggplant:

Eggplant is also a warm-season plant because it needs high temperatures to thrive and grow. The only major problem eggplant can face in Arizona is sunscald and for that, you need to take proper precautions. You can start planting it when the temperature reaches 50 or above and that happen in Arizona in mid to late spring.

Varieties: For planting in Arizona, you should consider choosing black beauty.

Corn:

Corn can grow very exceptionally in the heat of Arizona. You can start planting in April but make sure to provide proper watering. Corn is considered a native to Arizona because it has been planted for centuries. The corn is a huge consumer of water so make sure they get proper watering from time to time.

Varieties: For planting in Arizona you should consider choosing golden bantam because they are heat tolerant.

Green Beans:

Green beans are also a perfect choice for planting in Arizona because of their drought-tolerant capability. Beans are also native to Arizona because Arizonians planted them for over a thousand years. They like hot weather and withstand any situation.

Varieties: It also has many varieties but I would recommend going with Pinto and Blue Lake.

Okra:

Okra can withstand any extreme condition which makes it the perfect vegetable for Arizona’s hot summer. The okra can thrive in Arizona and luckily it has little chance of diseases and pest attack which also makes it a good choice for planting in Arizona. You can start planting okra in Arizona from mid spring to end of spring.

Varieties: As for choosing the varieties, I would recommend going with Clemson spineless.

Zucchini:

Zucchini is also a one of the easiest vegetables to grow in Arizona because of its heat tolerance. With its big and long leaves zucchini can survive the extreme heat of Arizona, so you don’t have to worry about sunscald. For planting zucchini you can start it from mid march to end of June.

Varieties: For planting you should choose golden zucchini or black beauty zucchini.

Potatoes:

Potato is one of the few plants that grow well in Arizona full sun. To grow potatoes you need hot temperatures which make it an ideal vegetable to grow in Arizona. March is perfect for planting potatoes in Arizona, and in fall you can do it in September.

Varieties: For planting in Arizona you should choose Beauregard which is extremely resistant and suitable for Arizona’s climate.

Related: How to Grow Avocado in Arizona

Cool Season Vegetable to Grow in Arizona:

There are many cool season vegetables that you can grow in Arizona, but I listed some of the common ones below.

Carrots:

Carrots are cool-season vegetables that need cool temperatures and that’s why its doing pretty great in Arizona’s winter. Carrots are suitable for the Arizona climate but during their germination stage, they need a little extra care. You can start planting it Arizona for September.

Verities: For planting in Arizona you should choose and grow danvers or nantes.

Lettuce:

You can also grow lettuce in Arizona because they need the mild cold temperatures that you can get in Arizona. If you planning to plant it indoors then start planting it form August to December, but if you planting it outdoors then September to January.

Varieties: Verities for Arizona include romaine and butterhead.

Kale:

Kale is a cold-season vegetable that needs a cold temperature, which is why you can plant it in the cold months and one of the easy vegetables to grow in Arizona. The kale should be planted 5 to 6 weeks before expected frost.

Verities: Varieties for Arizona include red Russian and lacinato.

Radishes:

Radishes like cold temperatures and the winter of Arizona is perfect for it. The time of planting radishes in Arizona is when the temperature reaches to 60F or above which in Arizona is about late January.

Varieties: For varieties to grow in Arizona you can choose cherry belle.

Garlic:

For garlic, you need to have a cold temperature during its growth stage and you can have that in Arizona. Garlic loves cold sun and low temperatures and getting mature slowly. For garlic, you need to mulch to keep its soil moist and water it from time to time.

Verities: For planting in Arizona you should choose and select California early white garlic.

Peas:

Peas like cool weather and that’s why they will thrive in the cool winter of Arizona. Peas should be planted form January to February in Arizona

Varieties: To grow peas in Arizona you can choose between snow peas and sugar snaps.

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Spinach:

To grow spinach in your garden you need cool weather and that type of weather can be found in a few places and Arizona is one of them. For planting in Arizona the indoors should be planted from August and for outside it should be start planting Septembers.

Varieties: For planting in Arizona you should choose Unipack151.

Cilantro:

Cilantro is a cool-weather vegetable that can grow all over Arizona. you can start growing cilantro in Arizona from October to January.

Varities: For planting in Arizona you should consider choosing Santo, Long Standing, or Leisure.

Watering Strategies in Arizona Dry Climate:

For watering in Arizona’s dry climate, you need to proper watering strategies. First of all, you need to start using the drip irrigation process to minimize water evaporation and keep the water moist during hot daytime. Other than that for watering vegetables in Arizona, you need to water them in the morning to minimize water evaporation and loss.

Here is a video about tips for successful vegetable gardening in Arizona.

Conclusion:

For growing vegetables in Arizona, you need to understand its climate first, then you can use the right approach for your farming and gardening. There are different types of vegetables to choose from, like cool-season vegetables, and hot-season vegetables.

I hope you start your gardening process in Arizona, but if you still have any questions regarding the gardening of vegetable in Arizona then feel free to ask and I will get back to you as soon as possible.