C o o p e r a t i v e E x t e n s i o n
M a r i c o p a C o u n t y
4 3 4 1 E . B r o a d w a y R o a d , P h o e n i x , A Z 8 5 0 4 0 - 8 8 0 7 ( 6 0 2 ) 4 7 0 - 8 0 8 6 e x t . 3 0 1 h t t p : / / a g . a r i z o n a . e d u / m a r i c o p a / g a r d e n /
VegetablePlanting Calendarfor Maricopa County
At a Glance:
Choose varieties that:Choose varieties that:** are disease & pest resistant;are disease & pest resistant;** are adapted to climate & soils;are adapted to climate & soils;** provide desirable yield, taste,provide desirable yield, taste,texture, & color;texture, & color;** mature quickly; andmature quickly; and** are recommended by localare recommended by localgardenersgardenersUse chart to choose planting dateUse chart to choose planting date
.
Issued April, 1998 by:
Lucy Bradley, AgentUrban HorticultureKai Umeda, AgentVegetable Crops
Publication AZ 1005
Maricopa County is a wonderful place to garden. Almost any type of vegetable or fruit can be grown successfully provided one
choosesappropriate varieties
and
plants at the right time
. The climate, theseason, and potential pests all impact the selection of what to plant when
.
Climate
: High temperatures, both day and night for extended periods of time, low humidity, and the high solar intensity can put tremendous stresson plants. In addition, some plants may not survive freezing temperatures if there is a hard winter frost. Select varieties that are tolerant of temperatureextremes, plant at the appropriate times to avoid temperature extremes, orplan to protect the plants. It is possible to create micro-climates that differfrom the overall climate by providing shade, more humidity, artificial heat,etc. and thus grow crops out of season
.
Seasons
: We have two optimal growing seasons: one in the spring, theother in the fall. Both day length and temperature vary dramaticallybetween seasons (short days and cold temperatures in winter to long daysand temperatures over 118 degrees in summer). Since few annual plants aresuited to thrive in both circumstances, it is important to choose plants thatmature quickly to ensure a full life cycle within one season.
Pests
: Choose varieties that have been bred to be resistant to diseases andpests. This is indicated by initials following the plant variety name, e.g.“V”means resistant to
Verticillium
wilt disease, “N” indicates resistance toNematodes, “F” indicates resistance to
Fusarium
wilt disease, and “T”indicates resistance to TobaccoMosaic virus. Choose a plantingdate to avoid known pestseasons, e.g., delay fall plantinguntil whitefly populations declinewith cooler temperatures; delayspring planting until soilsbecome warm and dry to reducefungal and bacterial diseaseproblems.
See Related PublicationsSee Related Publications
on soilpreparation, vegetable gardening,and harvesting.
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