Beans are a warm-season legume grown for the tender pods. Growing beans in the garden is simple. They are prolific and easy to grow. With so many varieties available, beans are a staple in most gardens. Learn how to grow beans and add them to your garden. Keep reading for extra tips if you are growing beans in the low desert of Arizona.
1. Understand the different types of beans:
Bush beansgrow lower to the ground and yield one larger crop all at once followed by a smaller harvest a couple weeks later. Planting bush beans every two weeks will ensure a continuous supply. Try varieties like dragon tongue and gold rush which are not readily available in supermarkets.
Bush beans in a raised bed
Pole beans are grown on a trellis, and one planting provides a steady yield all season long. Look for stringless varieties like Kentucky wonder and rattlesnake.
Kentucky wonder pole beans climbing a trellis
Yardlong beans tolerate heat and humidity better than snap bean varieties. Try varieties such as asparagus beans, snake beans or Chinese long beans. These are very fun to grow, kids love seeing how long the beans get in the garden. Yard-long beans and tepary beans require warmer growing conditions than pole and bush beans and have different planting dates. Other types of beans you can grow include black-eyed peas and borlotti beans.
Asparagus beans
2. Learn how to plant beans correctly
Bean seeds do best when sown directly into the soil.
Plant seeds 1 inch deep, and space them 2 inches apart.
Growing beans should sprout in 5 to 10 days.
Like many other garden plants, beans need plenty of sun to grow properly.
Keep soil moist and well-drained for happy beans.
3. Plant beans at the right time
Beans need warm soil to sprout and grow well. Begin planting in the spring after last spring frost. Seeds will germinate more quickly in soil temperatures of 70°F – 90°F (21°C – 32°C). Succession plant bean seeds every two weeks throughout the growing season for a fresh supply of beans all season long.
When to plant beans in Arizona
Plant snap beans (bush and pole type) from March 15 through April and again from August through September.
Lima beans can be planted from March 15 through April and July- August.
Harvest beans when the pods are firm and about the diameter of a pencil. Pick beans when young for the best flavor. Harvest beans often to encourage production. As beans mature, they lose flavor, and the pods begin to bulge with seeds. This signals to the plant to stop producing.
Most beans do not store well; once picked, use them as soon as possible. Store in the fridge if not using them right away. Beans are delicious raw (when picked young) or cooked. Beans are high in vitamins A, B and C, as well as calcium and iron.
Kentucky Pole Bean Harvest
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If you spend time in an Arizona garden in June, bountiful harvests and stunning blooms are common at the beginning of the month. Early June fills harvest baskets as spring and warm-season crops finish up. However, it soon transitions from warm to hot weather, shifting the garden from production to survival.
June is typically the driest and one of the hottest months in the low desert of Arizona. The average monthly rainfall is just 0.12 inches, and the average temperature is 105°F (74°C). This can be a challenging month for your yard and garden as plants and trees adjust to the heat. What you do this month can help your plants survive the hot summer months ahead.
What to do in the Low Desert Arizona Garden in June
Maximize your Arizona garden’s potential in June. Learn how to navigate the challenges of hot weather and ensure your plants’ survival. Keep reading to learn which tasks to do, how much to water, what pests to expect, what to plant, and a helpful “June Garden Task Checklist“.
When you’re in the garden this month, remember to work outside in the cooler morning and evening hours and stay hydrated.
Click on the title to jump to that section and learn more about what to do during June:
“Low desert” includes elevations below 3500 ft in the Southwest, such as the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.
Vegetable Gardening in the Low Desert Arizona Garden in June
Hot, dry temperatures affect the garden this month. Correct timing, watering, shade, and mulching are essential.
If you haven’t already, add a thick layer (3-5 inches) of mulch to your garden beds. I use the wood chip mulch from Arizona Worm Farm.
Harvest any remaining onions and garlic at the beginning of the month. Cure them indoors.
Use shade cloth to provide shade for annual vegetables or plant them in areas that receive afternoon shade. I use this shade cloth.
If your cucumbers are bitter, it might be the heat. Remove cucumber plants and plant Armenian-type cucumbers this month. They don’t get bitter.
Once nighttime temperatures are over 75°F (24°C), tomato pollen may not be viable and new fruit may not form.1If fruit is slow to ripen, bring tomatoes inside once they have a flush of color to finish ripening indoors. Learn more about how to turn green tomatoes red in this blog post.
(click on the link to read “How to Grow” articles about each crop)
Vegetable Watering Guidelines:
June is often the hardest month for plants. Do not overwater or underwater this month. Both are harmful to plants.
If you haven’t already, check the irrigation system and timer. Run the system; inspect all drips and sprinklers for leaks and proper watering.
As temperatures heat up, annual vegetables will need more frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches every 2-4 days; allow the top of the soil to dry out before watering again.
I use the garden grids from Garden in Minutes to water my raised beds. Use code Angela10 to save $10 off $100 or GITG5 to save 5 percent on any size order.
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Low Desert Arizona in June: Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month
Squash bug eggs, nymph, and adults
Pests:
Monitor squash and melon plants for squash bugs in all stages: adults, eggs, and nymphs. Keep a soapy bucket handy to drop them into. If numbers increase or get out of hand, consider pulling the plant.
Three-lined potato bugs are a common nuisance on tomatillos and ground cherries. If spotted, check plants several times a day. Keep a soapy bucket handy to drop them into. If numbers increase or get out of hand, consider pulling the plant.
Three-lined potato beetle eggs, larvae, and adult
Leaf miners on cantaloupe or other melons. Remove damaged leaves.
You may still have aphids or chrysanthemum lace bugs on sunflowers, but hopefully, beneficial insects like lacewings and ladybugs took care of them for you. If not, you can remove damaged leaves and spray them off with water.
You may see circles cut out from leaves on roses, pomegranates, and other plants. Leaf-cutter bees are responsible and use the leaves to build their nests. It’s cosmetic damage only and nothing to worry about. These solitary bees are excellent pollinators.
Damage from leaf-cutter bees
If rollie-pollies are eating seedlings (they especially love beans) before they sprout, an effective solution is to sprinkle a small amount of this slug and snail bait when you plant. It is iron phosphate with an attractant for slugs. It’s non-toxic to worms and safe to use.
Monitor tomato, pepper, and eggplants for tomato hornworms. If you see insect frass (droppings) or eaten leaves, look closely for hornworms. Handpick and feed to chickens.
Tomato hornworm and frass
Spider mites are common on beans, especially in hot, dry conditions. Spray the area often with water to discourage them. If you need to treat, a combination of Safer Insect Killing Soap and Monterey Horticultural Oil can be effective. Use at sundown and then rinse the leaves well afterward to prevent burning. Follow package instructions and use sparingly– only on affected areas to prevent harming beneficial insects.
Spider mites
Grapeleaf skeletonizers may be present on grape vines. If spotted early, you can handpick affected leaves and dispose of eggs and caterpillars. Once a large area is affected, you may need to treat it with Bt-Bacillus thuringiensis. Use only as directed and only on affected areas.
Grapeleaf skeletonizer eggs and caterpillars
Monitor pomegranate trees for all stages of leaf-footed bugs. If spotted, daily vigilance and dropping them into a bucket of soapy water are effective solutions to this difficult pest.
Leaf-footed eggs, nymphs, and adult
Wildlife and Beneficial Insects:
Lovebirds and lesser goldfinch are commonly seen on sunflowers this time of year. They love the seeds, and the lesser goldfinch also enjoy eating the leaves. I love watching them in the garden.
Bees, hoverflies, wasps, lacewings, praying mantids, syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, assassin bugs, and other beneficial insects are active now.
Gulf fritillary butterflies in all stages, swallowtail butterflies, hummingbirds
Bee on a sunflower and swallowtail butterfly
Low Desert Arizona in June: Container Gardening Tips
Put away small pots for the summer
If possible, put small containers away until the fall. The soil from the containers can be used as mulch or added to compost.
Move containers to areas of your yard that receive afternoon shade naturally.
Group containers and grow bags close together for an insulating effect.
Container Watering Guidelines:
As temperatures heat up, monitoring containers closely and watering often is crucial. You may have to water every day. If you’re not sure, use a moisture meter to check soil moisture levels.
If containers dry out too much, the soil may become hydrophobic. When watering, check the soil to ensure water is absorbed and not repelled by hydrophobic soil.
Add ollas to containers to help with watering during the summer. I use ollas from Growoya. For a discount, use code GROWING.
Use ollas and a moisture meter to help you with watering containers
Flower Gardening in the Low Desert Arizona Garden in June
Plant sunflowers. Pops of yellow flowers brighten up a summer yard and attract birds. I love this branching variety.
To extend bloom, deadhead annual warm-season flowers such as zinnias, salvia, coreopsis, gaillardia, marigold,and cosmos. Read this post to learn about flowers that love hot summers.
Roses continue to bloom this month.Keep spent blooms deadheaded and enjoy the blooms.
Enjoy hollyhock blooms. Save seeds to spread around your yard and share with friends. If the plants finish up, don’t pull them out. Cutstalks back to about 6 inches above the ground.
Apply a thick layer of mulch around the base of flowers.
If you aren’t leaving them in the soil, pull spent bulbs or corms from beds after the foliage completely dies. Store indoors and plant again in the fall.
(click on the link to read “How to Grow” articles about each crop)
Lisianthus
Flower Watering Guidelines:
As temperatures heat up, annual flowers will need more frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches every 2-4 days; allow the top of the soil to dry out before watering again.
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
Fruit & Fruit Trees in the Low Desert Arizona Garden in June
Peach Tree
If you haven’t already, mulch your trees well. Adding worm castings, compost, and mulch three times a year will prepare and help your trees from high summer temperatures. Learn more in this blog post.
Peach and fig harvests continue this month. Keep fruit picked up to discourage insects and pests. Read this article for more information about how to grow peach trees.
Pomegranates may drop some fruit this month. Read this article for more information about how to grow pomegranates.
Anna’s apple harvests begin this month. Fruit left too long on the plant may cook! Harvest and bring indoors. Here are our favorite recipes to use Anna apples.
Monitor grapes for harvest readiness.
Passionfruit flowers and fruits this month.
Shade newly-planted fruit trees to help them survive their first summer. Monitor watering closely.
Figs, grapes, and apples
Citrus:
There will be some citrus fruit drop this month – “June Drop” – as the tree self-thins to what it can support through the summer. Adequate watering this month is important. June is typically the driest month of the year.
Once citrus softens, it is time to remove the remaining fruit from the tree.
Paint or wrap any trunks exposed to sunlight to protect them from damage. Any water-based paint works to paint citrus. I prefer using tree wraps over paint. It’s like wearing sunscreen versus a swim shirt. The wrap offers better protection.
Monitor your fruit trees for signs of water stress. Leaf curling is usually the first noticeable sign. Wet the soil from the tree trunk to just past the tree’s drip line.
Established citrus trees should be watered once every 7-14 days to a 2-3 feet depth.
Water annual fruit and high water use vines every 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
Water established fruit trees every 7-10 days to a depth of 18-24″.
Grape vines need deep watering every 5 days.
Water annual fruit and high water use vines every 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
Extreme Leaf Curling From Water Stress
Herb Gardening in the Low Desert Arizona Garden in June
Keep basil cut back above two sets of leaves to encourage branching and a full plant.
Allow bolting/flowering dill, cilantro, fennel, and parsley to remain in the garden. This is one of the best ways to attract beneficial insects to your garden; learn more in this blog post.
Harvest perennial herbs like sage, rosemary & thyme lightly throughout the summer. Delay heavy pruning until fall.
Harvest oregano this month. It will flower soon. Enjoy and preserve the harvest by dehydrating or freeze-drying.
Lacewing eggs on dill, parsley seeds, and basil
Herb Watering Guidelines:
As temperatures heat up, annual herbs will need more frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches every 2-4 days; allow the top of the soil to dry out before watering again.
Water desert-adapted landscape perennial herbs (like rosemary) every 7-21 days (water to a depth of 18-24″).
Many Mediterranean herbs, such as sage, rosemary, lavender, oregano, and thyme, are more likely to die from overwatering and root rot in the summer than from underwatering. Take care not to overwater them.
Landscape Plants in the Low Desert Arizona Garden in June
June is not the month to prune or fertilize landscape plants, trees, and shrubs. Pruning and fertilizing encourage new growth and expose new areas to damaging sunlight, which is stressful for plants when temperatures are above 100°F (38°C).
This month, do not add plants, trees, or shrubs to your landscape.
Palms are an exception to planting. They grow and get established best in warm soils, and June is an excellent month to plant them. Keep the roots and area around the roots hydrated to encourage growth into the surrounding soil. Support the plants until they become established to avoid disturbing the growing roots.
If you have any stinknet in your yard, pull it and dispose of it so the seeds do not spread or remain in your yard. Remove it carefully if the flowers are dried and the plant is dead—it will shed thousands of seeds. Bag it up in a sealed bag and throw it in the trash.
Give landscape plants a long, deep soak at the beginning of the month to prepare them for June’s hot, dry weather. Water should penetrate below the recommended 2-3 foot normal depths to leach the salts that build up in root zones and recharge the dry soil.
Desert-adapted trees, shrubs & vines every 7-21 days (water to a depth of 24-36″ trees / 18-24″ shrubs / 8-12″ vines).
High water use trees every 7-10 days (water to a depth of 18-24″).
High water use shrubs every 5-7 days (water to a depth of 8-12″).
High water use vines every 2-5 days (water to a depth of 8-12″).
Dwarf Chaste Tree
Arizona Garden in June Checklist:
Download your printable copy of the June Garden Checklist:
Which Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit to Plant in the Low Desert in June
(Click the link to read “How to Grow” articles on my website.)
SEED, TRANSPLANT, OR BOTH? S = Seed / T= Transplant
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Sources:
1 – For further reading, please refer to the original article: “University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. (2023). Key Strategies for Soybean Management.” https://sites.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?p=4489.
2 – For additional information on watering practices, visit: “Association of Municipal Water Users Authority. (2023). Landscaping with Style in the Arizona Desert.” https://www.amwua.org/landscaping-with-style.
April’s sunny, warm days and cool nights are perfect for the garden and the gardener. However, this is not the time to procrastinate – warmer temperatures are coming, and preparing the low desert Arizona garden in April for the hot summer ahead is important.
Low desert includes elevations below 3500 ft in the Southwest, such as the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.
Snapdragons and Ranunculus in bloom
What you do in your Arizona garden in April will affect how your garden, herbs, and flowers withstand the heat of the upcoming summer. Look at what’s growing in my Mesa, Arizona garden this month, and see my list of which garden tasks to do and the vegetables, herbs, and flowers to plant in your Arizona garden in April.
Lupine
Vegetables growing in the low desert Arizona garden in April
April is a great month for harvesting carrots planted in the fall. Leave carrots in the ground until ready to eat, but harvest carrots before the heat of the summer if you live in hot places like Arizona (the heat can turn them bitter).
A tip to remember: the shorter-variety carrots are best eaten fresh, while longer carrots are better suited to storage.
Bean seeds do best when sown directly into the soil. Plant them 1 inch deep and space them 2 inches apart. Beans should sprout in 5 to 10 days. Like many other garden plants, beans need plenty of sun to grow properly. Keep the soil moist and well-drained for happy beans.
It’s time to harvest the celery from your garden. Celery doesn’t like hot temperatures, and the flavor will be affected – it will become bitter. The celery will also bolt – meaning the plant focuses on producing seeds. You will see a central stalk become taller and literally “bolt.” If it remains in the ground, it will flower and produce seeds.
StrawberriesArtichokesSummer SquashBeets and Lobelia
Flowers growing in the low desert Arizona garden in April
Nasturtiums put on their big show this month. The beautiful, edible blooms are everywhere! Be sure to save seeds to share with friends and family. Nasturtiums reseed easily; once you plant them, they often return year after year.
Pictured here are Vitex (chaste tree), petunias, and blue plumbago – all of which bloom and are beautiful in Arizona gardens in April.
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
Fruit trees in the low desert Arizona garden in April
Harvest Rio Red Grapefruit (pictured here) begins in December and continues until the heat of summer.
As blossoms become fruit on your fruit trees, fruit should be thinned before it is an inch in diameter—thin fruit within about a month after full bloom. Fruit thinned later than this lessens the chance that fruit size will increase. For more information about how to thin fruit, read this article.
Early-ripening peaches (such as Earligrande, pictured here) may be ready to pick this month. The big delicious fruit is the benefit of all that thinning you did. Enjoy the fruit of your labors, and pick them before the birds get them!
Potato bugs (rollie-pollies) are active this month. Read this post for tips on managing them organically.
Genista Caterpillar on Texas Mountain Laurel. Allow for some damage or use Bt to control if infestation is severe.
Planting:
April is a good time to plant citrus trees and fig trees.
Fruit trees can be planted early in the month so they have time to settle in before the heat of the summer. Look for varieties that require less than 400 chill hours, have early maturing fruit, and are self-pollinating.
April is an excellent time to plant most trees, bushes, and perennials, as well as frost-sensitive plants such as lantana and hibiscus. Plant summer-flowering shrubs. Do not over-plant; be aware of the mature size of the plant and space accordingly.
Think twice before planting cool-season annuals this month. It will be heating up soon, and their time in the ground will be short. Better to plant warm-season flowers when they are available.
As temperatures heat up, annual plants will need more frequent watering. Water to the depth of your beds, and allow the top of the soil to dry out before watering again.
Check containers with a moisture meter or ensure the top inch or so of soil has dried out before watering.
Established citrus treesshould be watered once every 10-14 days.
Water established fruit trees once every 7-10 days.
SEED, TRANSPLANT, OR BOTH? S = Seed / T= Transplant
Flower seeds to start indoors in the low desert in April
(Click the link for seed sources.)
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
If this post about gardening in Arizona during April was helpful, please share it:
