Fruit trees that thrive in the low desert of Arizona

Growing fruit trees in Phoenix, Arizona

In this article I talk about which fruit trees grow well in Arizona.

The first thing I’ll do is crush your dreams of growing tropical trees. I’ve seen it done, but the effort far outweighs the reward. If you want a mango or avocado tree in your yard, I recommend moving to Hawaii, because that’s not the kind of climate we live in. Those who have any success growing tropical fruit trees in the Phoenix area have to do everything they can to combat frost. They have to cover the trees at night and put lights under them to help them survive the winter. They also have to make similar efforts to beat the heat. I say forget it and grow something that wants to be here unless tropical trees are simply a passion of yours.

Although Phoenix has a very cold climate, it is not cold enough for many stone fruits. Most stone fruits require a certain number of chill hours to produce fruit. I could bore you with a long explanation of chill hours or just tell you not to buy anything that requires more than 400 chill hours. This rules out cold-loving plants like cherries and many apples.

The apples that grow well here are more than what I consider “cooking grade” apples. Some people claim success with Fuji apples, but it all depends on having a cold year. Growing apples in the Phoenix desert isn’t much different from the tropics as far as I’m concerned: not worth it except for hobbyists.

Let’s focus now on the trees that thrive in Arizona:

Pecans grow amazingly well here and I would say it is one of the best trees to plant as it can give good food and shade and good firewood for cooking. It is a tree that gives a lot and only needs water and some occasional pruning to bring the wind to the branches. A good arborist does a much better job of thinning a nut than the wind.

Blackberries are prolific in Phoenix and highly undervalued. The most widely planted variety rarely bears good fruit, so the mulberry’s reputation is not so good. Personally, I am a big fan of the Oscar and Pakistani mulberry varieties with a nod of deliciousness that goes slightly towards the Oscar. These trees are also fast growing and aside from their water consumption I can’t think of anything I don’t like about them.

There are several varieties of peaches that do well in Phoenix and I have never met a peach that I did not like. I would recommend planting several different types together. For the sake of garden space, you can prune them to keep the trees small (I’ll show you how). With the various types of peaches naturally ripening at slightly different times, you’ll have a longer peach season than in an orchard specializing in just one variety. This is sure to prolong their life, as everyone knows that a long peach season equals a long life.

I’ve seen a lot of success with plums here, although I’m not sure which varieties are the best to choose. The plums I planted myself haven’t fared as well, but there are definitely a few varieties of plums that seem to do very well here. I would plant several and keep the ones that produce and taste the best.

There is a fruit tree that is not technically a tree, but that produces a fruit that in some countries is considered the ultimate delicacy: it is the date palm. Dates are the opposite of pecans in that a lot of work is required to produce a good crop of dates. They grow well in Phoenix but need a lot of water to thrive. If you imagine an oasis in the desert, that is where the dates would be found. Commercial date growers will climb their palms 6 times or more each year to pollinate, thin, and finally harvest the dates. If you’re serious about growing date crops, you can, but it’s definitely a labor of love. One thing to remember is that dates only “truly” reproduce if planted from a sapling of a recognized fruit-producing variety. You can plant a date seed and get a date palm, but it will not normally produce edible fruit. That being said, the famous Black Sphinx variety of dates came from a seedling planted in Phoenix many years ago.

So now for something really cool: the loquat. This rare fruit tree is indigenous to southern China, which apparently has a climate similar to that of Phoenix. These trees thrive here and produce amazing fruit. It’s such a peculiar and foreign fruit to the average person, so I’m not sure how to describe it. You just have to take my word for it that these trees are worth a try. It can take about five years for the tree to produce fruit, but after that you should have plenty.

The granado is doing very well in Phoenix. Sometimes it can be difficult to get the fruit to fully ripen, complete with the beautiful ruby ​​red we expect. This can often be resolved by placing a clear plastic drop cloth over the plant during the day during the hotter months. This causes a large temperature difference between night and day and can trigger the ripening process. Pomegranates also tend to spread rapidly from sucker growth and need constant pruning to keep them confined to their original space.

All kinds of citrus grow here and I’ll leave a few names that I think are often overlooked but shouldn’t be: kumquats, oroblanco grapefruit, mandarins, and yellow limes. These are all pretty rare, but they taste amazing and I wish more people knew about them.

The best advice I can offer is to buy small trees, buy a lot, and remember to be patient. Before you know it, you’ll have so much fruit that you won’t know what to do with it. If you are looking for more information, I would recommend checking out the Rare Fruit Growers Club of Arizona and the various Permaculture sites dedicated to growing in the Phoenix area.

Good luck.