Spring Gardening in Arizona
Spring gardening in Arizona’s low desert moves fast, giving you a brief window to grow warm-season crops. If you’re not ready, you might miss out before the heat hits. Use these tips to prepare your beds and choose what to plant, so when temperatures signal spring, you’ll be set. Early preparation is the key to a successful harvest.
Article Index:
- Prepare your Arizona garden for spring
- Plan Your Spring Garden in Arizona and Decide What to Plant
- Gather Needed Supplies and Begin Starting Seeds Indoors
- Evaluate your winter garden
- Decide what to plant
- Revitalize Overwintered Warm-Season Crops
- Begin planting your spring garden
7 Steps for a Successful Spring Garden in Arizona
1. Prepare your Arizona garden for spring
Take some time before spring gardening begins to get your garden ready. Review the items on this list—even if they don’t all apply to you, make any necessary updates as you prepare for the new season.
- Fill beds with compost or raised bed mix to replenish organic matter depleted from the last growing season. Add enough to fill the beds completely. (I use the raised bed mix from Arizona Worm Farm.)
- Check your watering system. Is it working properly? Do you need any repairs? (I use garden grids from Garden in Minutes to water my raised beds.)
- Add additional raised beds, vertical structures, or large containers to your garden.
- Clean garden beds by removing weeds, debris, and any unwanted volunteer plants.
- Store small containers once your cool-season crops have finished. Switch to larger containers as temperatures begin to rise.
- Repair raised beds and trellises as needed.
- Replenish mulch in pathways and around beds.
- Did your garden struggle last season? Get a soil test. It will let you know if you have other issues you need to address. This is the soil test kit I use.
If you would like to learn more about the principles of successful desert gardening, my guide, “Desert Gardening: How to Grow Vegetables in a Hot, Dry Climate,” may be helpful.
2. Plan Your Spring Garden in Arizona and Decide What to Plant
Start by taking a good look at your garden space and thinking about what you’d like to grow in spring and summer. Map out your garden (or use online tools) and see how much space you have.
Make a Planting Plan
Once you have a layout in mind, make a list of everything you want to grow. As you make your list, ask yourself:
- What do I like to eat?
- Which crops are most cost-effective to grow?
- What am I most excited to harvest?
- How much space do I have?
- How much time do I want to spend in the garden?
Use your answers to narrow down your plant choices. That way, you’ll grow what you truly enjoy and can realistically manage.
Learn About Each Crop
It’s helpful to learn a little about the plants on your list before planting. Read the how-to-grow guides on my website to learn more about the crops you’re interested in.
Use My Garden Planning Resources to Plan your Spring Garden in Arizona
- Use the planting calendars and guides I’ve put together specifically for the low desert. Get them in my shop.
- Learn more about how to plan your garden and get a garden planning worksheet in this post.
- Use my free, ready-made square foot gardening plans for each season, available here.
PRO TIP: Add some flowers and herbs for the pollinators to your planting list. This will encourage a halthy ecosystem and help keep pests in check. Worried about pests? Use the pest prevention tips in this guide.
3. Gather Needed Supplies and Begin Starting Seeds Indoors
Gather Supplies
You will likely plant a combination of seeds and transplants in your garden this spring, so begin gathering everything you need. If you’re just getting started, you don’t have to grow seedlings yourself—buying transplants can be much simpler. But if you’d like to give seed starting a try, this post explains how to start seeds indoors. You can see my favorite seed starting supplies on Amazon.
Order seeds and locate sources for transplants you’d like to include. See some of my favorite seed varieties and suppliers here. Having everything on hand will help you stay organized and ready to plant.
Start Seeds Indoors
In general, start seeds about 6–8 weeks before you plan to move them outside. Check your planting list and sow seeds accordingly.
- Late December or Early January: Sow seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
- Mid-January: Sow seeds for basil, zinnias, cucumbers, and melons.
- For all other seeds: Refer to the monthly planting guides for specific dates.
Prepare Sweet Potatoes, Ginger, and Turmeric
- Sweet Potatoes: If these are on your planting list, now is the time to begin making slips so they’re ready to plant in January. Learn how to make sweet potato slips here.
- Turmeric or Ginger: Purchase organic rhizomes from the grocery store and begin pre-sprouting them. This guide explains how to pre-sprout ginger and turmeric.
4. Evaluate your winter garden
Spend some time evaluating your winter garden. In your garden journal, take note of which varieties did well or not so well this winter. Don’t skip this step. Taking time to document now will make planning next year’s fall and winter garden much easier.
Harvest winter vegetables to begin making space in your garden for spring plantings. A crucial element of successful spring gardening in Arizona is transitioning from your winter garden to a spring garden. You’ll need to make room in your garden for warm-season vegetables. Get more tips for spring planting in this spring garden checklist.
Evaluate existing plants in the garden
- Some winter vegetables may be close to harvest and need a bit more time in the garden. Give them a little time.
- Other plants may have struggled to produce, and you may decide to pull them to make room for spring and summer planting. Remember to cut plants at the base rather than pulling them out to remove them.
- Some plants, like onions, garlic, and perennial herbs will continue to grow. You can’t plant spring crops there. Plant heat-loving crops or cover crops in those areas during the summer.
5. Decide when to plant
In the low desert of Arizona, mid-February is typically our last frost date, but Mother Nature can still surprise us with a cold snap. Back in 2019, I was so eager to plant tomatoes that I ended up replanting them three times thanks to some unexpected late frosts! To minimize risk, keep an eye on the weather forecast and make sure nighttime lows are consistently in the 40s.
That said, we also have a relatively short spring growing season—so sometimes you have to gamble a bit to get the most out of it. One of the best ways to know when it’s safe to plant is to check the soil temperature. A soil thermometer (the one I use from Amazon) gives you a reliable snapshot of when each crop has the best chance to germinate and grow well.
Here are a few soil temperature guidelines:
- 55°F (13°C): Corn, tomatoes
- 65°F (18°C): Cucumbers, peppers
- 70°F (21°C): Beans, melons, squash
- 75°F (24°C): Pumpkin, okra, eggplant
If your soil hits these temperatures, it’s a good indication that planting time has arrived. Learn more about soil temperature guidelines in this guide.
6. Revitalize Overwintered Warm-Season Crops
Sometimes, peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes that manage to survive the winter can bounce back for another growing season—especially here in the low desert. Here’s how to decide if they’re worth saving and how to give them a fresh start:
- Evaluate the Plants
- If your peppers, tomatoes, or eggplants are diseased or severely damaged by frost, it’s best to remove them altogether and plant new transplants in a different spot.
- If they’re mostly healthy with signs of new growth, keep them in place and revitalize them with pruning and fertilizer.
- Prune Carefully
- Once the danger of frost has passed, cut back any frost-damaged or spindly growth.
- Look for emerging new shoots and prune just above where the new leaves or branches are forming. This helps direct the plant’s energy into new growth. Read the complete guide to pruning peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants after winter here.
- For more details on how to prune peppers, check out this pruning guide on my website.
- Fertilize and Refresh
- After pruning, feed your plants with a balanced, quality fertilizer—this is the fertilizer I like to use.
- Top your beds with compost and water thoroughly. The established root systems will benefit from the extra nutrients and moisture, causing new growth to appear quickly.
With a little care, these overwintered crops can flourish again, giving you an early jump on your spring harvest.
7. Begin planting your spring garden
Once your beds are ready, it’s time to plant seeds and transplants. Here’s what to keep in mind as you plnat out your spring garden:
Harden Off Seedlings
- If you started seeds indoors, gradually expose them to the outdoors over 1–2 weeks so they can adjust to sunlight, wind, and temperature changes.
- Check out my guide on hardening off seedlings for more details.
Watch for Late Frosts
- Mid-February is typically the last frost date in the low desert, but be prepared to cover your plants if a cold snap hits. Learn how to protect your garden from frost in this guide.
Maximize Sunlight and Follow Spacing
- Place your crops where they’ll get plenty of direct sun, and follow recommended spacing from planting guides to reduce competition.
Planting Seeds and Transplants
- Sow seeds directly in the ground using packet instructions or this post on planting seeds outside.
- For transplants, harden them off first and then plant according to my tips on planting transplants. Water well and keep an eye on them as they settle in.
Interplant with Winter Crops
- If you still have cool-season crops growing, tuck warm-season seeds between them. As you harvest the winter crops, your new plants will enjoy the extra space and sunlight.
You’ve got this!
Spring gardening in Arizona moves fast, but a little planning goes a long way. Get your beds ready, watch the frost dates, and check soil temperatures. Whether you’re starting new or reviving overwintered plants, small steps like pruning and fertilizing can make a big difference. Keep an eye on the weather, but don’t forget to enjoy the journey.
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