Will Sweet Corn Ripen in Arizona?
Yes, sweet corn ripens across Arizona’s low desert, but the calendar that works almost everywhere else doesn’t apply here.
Gardening in Arizona
Everything we have worked out for Arizona: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Phoenix, the last spring freeze falls around no freeze in most years; a rare cold snap can bring 32F between late December and mid January and the first fall freeze falls around no reliable fall freeze; see the note, USDA zones 4b-10b, 8,014 growing degree days in the year.
Heat, not frost, is what shortens the season here: above 86 °F tomato pollen goes sterile, so growers run a spring crop and an autumn one rather than a single long season. Garlic is the awkward one: only 0 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in Arizona: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
When to Sow Sweet Corn in Arizona
In Arizona’s low desert, sweet corn goes into the ground once soil is reliably above 60°F, which usually means later winter sliding into early spring.
Will Arizona Soil Hold an Asparagus Bed for Fifteen Years?
Yes, if the ground drains, and across most of Arizona’s low desert, the ground does.
When to Plant Asparagus Crowns in Arizona
Plant asparagus crowns in early spring, once the soil can be worked. Arizona’s low desert almost never sees a hard freeze, so the calendar here isn’t…
Growing Sweet Corn in Arizona: Will It Ripen?
Sweet corn can ripen in Arizona’s low desert, but the calendar that decides it has almost nothing to do with frost. In most years there isn’t one to dodge.
Growing Asparagus in Arizona: Fifteen Years in One Spot
Fifteen years is the outer edge of an asparagus bed’s life, and Arizona’s dominant soil happens to drain well enough to support that kind of commitment.
When to Sow Autumn Spinach in Arizona
In Arizona’s low desert, count on sowing autumn spinach from mid-October through November, once soil temperatures finally drop below 80°F after the long…
Will Spinach Bolt Early in Arizona?
Spinach bolts early nearly everywhere in Arizona’s low desert, and the short growing window here comes from heat more than from frost.
When to Sow Pumpkins in Arizona
There isn’t a fall frost date to count back from in most of Arizona. NOAA’s 30-year climate record shows a nearby low-desert station logged 32°F in only…
Will Pumpkins Ripen Before Frost in Arizona?
Frost isn’t the deadline that matters here. Across the low desert, NOAA’s 30-year record shows the frost-free season running a full 365 days, with 32°F…