Arizona · Maricopa County
Desert summer crops for Phoenix
Across the 23 NOAA stations Maricopa County ZIP codes cite, the mean daily high over June–August runs from 97.9 °F at Pinnacle Peak, AZ to 108.4 °F at Gila Bend 2Se, AZ; the middle station is Wittmann 1Se, AZ at 103.2 °F. The University of Arizona's calendar still opens a planting window for 14 crops inside .
What the calendar plants into the heat
Every window in the publication that falls in those two months, as published, earliest first.
| Crop | Plant | Harvest, as published |
|---|---|---|
| Yardlong beans | seeds: | 60-90 days |
| Black-eyed peas | seeds: | 90-120 days |
| Armenian cucumbers | seeds: | 55 days |
| Cantaloupe and honeydew melons | seeds: | 80-120 days |
| Sweet potatoes | transplants: | 120-160 days |
| Sunflower | seeds: | 90-110 days |
| Shallots | sets or cloves: | T80-110 days |
| Peppers | transplants: | 90-120 days |
| Pumpkin | seeds: | 90-120 days |
| Winter squash | seeds: | 90-120 days |
| Pinto beans | seeds: | 60-90 days |
| Snap beans | seeds: | 60-90 days |
| Sweet corn | seeds: | 70-90 days |
| Tomatoes | transplants: | 50-120 days |
The summer, measured
Mean daily high and total rain over June–August, the season NOAA's summer normals cover, at each station Maricopa County ZIP codes cite.
| Station | NOAA ID | Mean summer high | Summer rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguila, AZ | USC00020060 | 99.2 °F | 1.89" |
| Carefree, AZ | USC00021282 | 102.1 °F | 2.69" |
| Castle Hot Springs, AZ | USC00021353 | 104.0 °F | 3.71" |
| Chandler Heights, AZ | USC00021514 | 103.2 °F | — |
| Dateland Whitewing Rch, AZ | USC00022434 | 105.5 °F | — |
| E Mesa, AZ | USC00022782 | 104.9 °F | 2.52" |
| Fountain Hills, AZ | USC00023190 | 101.9 °F | 2.27" |
| Gila Bend 2Se, AZ | USC00023393 | 108.4 °F | 1.66" |
| Laveen 3 Sse, AZ | USC00024829 | 106.4 °F | 1.82" |
| Litchfield Park, AZ | USC00024977 | 105.0 °F | 1.85" |
| Painted Rock Dam, AZ | USC00026194 | 106.4 °F | 1.78" |
| Phoenix Deer Valley Muni AP, AZ | USW00003184 | 102.6 °F | 1.80" |
| Phoenix Sky Harbor INTL AP, AZ | USW00023183 | 105.2 °F | 1.86" |
| Pinnacle Peak, AZ | USC00026603 | 97.9 °F | 2.32" |
| Punkin Ctr, AZ | USC00026840 | 101.7 °F | 3.34" |
| Roosevelt 1 S, AZ | USC00027281 | 102.6 °F | 3.80" |
| Scottsdale Muni AP, AZ | USW00003192 | 103.0 °F | 1.78" |
| South Phoenix, AZ | USC00028112 | 101.5 °F | 1.56" |
| Stewart Mtn Dam, AZ | USC00028214 | 104.0 °F | 2.46" |
| Tempe Asu, AZ | USC00028499 | 104.8 °F | 2.35" |
| Wickenburg, AZ | USC00029287 | 102.4 °F | 3.21" |
| Wittmann 1Se, AZ | USC00029464 | 103.2 °F | 2.09" |
| Youngtown, AZ | USC00029634 | 103.5 °F | 1.84" |
Where these dates come from
Every planting window on this page is from the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (az1005), by Kai Umeda, revised September 2018, peer reviewed. It lists 53 crops in 24 half-month planting windows; S means seeds, T transplants, X sets or cloves.
Publication: https://extension.arizona.edu/publication/vegetable-planting-calendar-maricopa-county
PDF: https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1005-2018.pdf
⚠️ It is written for Maricopa County, which holds 135 of the 164 ZIP codes in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area. It is not written for the other 29 — Pinal County (29) — nor for Tucson, Yuma or anywhere else in Arizona, and this site does not stretch it to cover them. Freeze dates, summer highs and rainfall are NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the stations named on this page.