XP: Gardening in Arizona

MidniteRae

Anyone have any tips? It will be in a raised bed (except for the watermelons). We won't be planting any flowers, just fruits, veggies, and herbs. We just bought a tomato plant, 2 different pepper plants, and a strawberry plant. We also got some seeds. When would be the best time to plant watermelons, cantaloupe, and lettuce(caesar lettuce-[the back of the packet says tastes like romaine and has the texture of butterhead] if that matters). Is it too late to plant the seeds? Oh and they all they say full sun.

leighzlou

I would imagine Arizona is pretty hot now so the lettuce won't work. It needs cool temps to grow. Depending on what zone you are in, the melons likely need to go in yesterday so do those ASAP. Its probably also too hot for the strawberry plant now to produce this year, but its a perennial so it will come pack next year and produce for you.

*speedracer*

where in arizona are you?  lettuce has already come and gone where i am.

i'm in the phoenix area and our calendar is a bit different than everyone else's.

this should be helpful: www.urbanfarm.org/Planting_Calendar.pdf

also, i took a veggie gardening class (4 part classes on saturday mornings) with the phoenix permaculture guild www.phoenixpermaculture.org) and the were SO helpful.  

 

full sun for us means morning sun and no sun after 2pm.  so you need to usually position your garden so it faces east and is shaded by mid afternoon, either by trees or by shade structure you make. 

the other issue we have here is the soil is terrible and you need to learn what you're working with so you can amend it appropriately.