Ever wonder what vegetables work here in the Arizona desert? Arizona’s planting guide is very different from everywhere else in the United States. Fortunately, for us we have 2 or even 3 planting cycles. We have our spring crop, summer crop, and fall/winter crop. It is April in the Arizona low desert and time to get your vegetable garden going before the real heat hits. Below is a guide of what to plant in April in Arizona.
Beans – Blackeye. These perform well in the full summer heat.
Corn – Flour, Ornamental, Popcorn, and Sweet. These need to be planted in April and again in July/August. The supersweet variety needs very war soil to sprout.
Cucumber – Armenian and Standard. Plant in April and again in AugustThe Armenian withstands the heat better then the standard. The standard must be harvested frequently for best quality.
Eggplant – Plant now for best production in the fall.
Melons – Get these in early April. They need rich soil, lots of water and lots of room. Harvest in late July, Aug., and Sept.
Okra – Pick frequently to maintian production.
Peppers – Start indoors in winter for best harvest in fall.
Squash – summer, winter. Pick the summer variety frequently to maintain production. The longer the winter variety is left on the vine, the sweeter.
Sunflowers – Very drought tolerant.
Watermelon – Needs rich soil, lots of water, and lots of room.
