Phoenix's warm embrace of spring has arrived, and with it, the annual call for green thumbs to start their seasonal planting—a time when both avid gardeners and casual plant lovers look to enhance their home landscapes. According to FOX 10 Phoenix Meteorologist Erica Horvatin, high temperatures in the 80s and lows in the 60s are creating the perfect environment for planting and landscaping in the Valley. The local wisdom, as shared by Matthew Whitfill from Whitfill Nursery, is that Valentine's Day traditionally marks a safe time to begin, with an advisory to wrap up planting before the mercury soars toward 105 to 110 degrees from late April into May.
For those new to Phoenix's unique gardening requirements, Whitfill emphasizes a plant's first few months as crucial, stressing the importance of a consistent watering schedule to help them develop a robust root system. "If you have something that’s newly planted, it doesn’t have the infrastructure to pick up a ton of water, so the most important thing is to baby them through that first 3,4,5 months, to get their feet set, to kinda get the head start so they have something to work off of as they start to mature," Whitfill told FOX 10 Phoenix.
'The Show,' Melissa Kruse-Peeples, a master gardener and educator at Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus, shared her insights for the spring planting season in Zone 9b, which includes Phoenix. Kruse-Peeples suggests it's time to plant heat lovers such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and summer squashes, and to harvest cool-season veggies like carrots, leafy greens, and brassicas. "I love planting summer squash, like zucchini and yellow squash, basil and of course, always the flowers can't have enough flowers in the garden," Kruse-Peeples told KJZZ.
Her practice involves a piecemeal approach to cycling crops in and out of the garden, tailoring planting schedules to the unique warm climate of the desert. "I kind of do a piecemeal. It's, it's nice to think about a plan — which can be hard. ... When there's nothing in the garden, you put stuff everywhere. But thinking about a plan, and so where I have done my lettuce, that's gone now, is ready for the tomatoes," Kruse-Peeples explained to KJZZ. She also noted that while Phoenix may still be in winter by the calendar, the spring season really kicks off in mid- to late February for local gardeners.
