- Although you cannot control the weather, using the USDA hardiness zone map may help you create a vegetable planting schedule to make the most of the entire growing season. You can start seedlings indoors and transplant them to your garden when the plants are sturdy and the weather has warmed. Planning for a fall harvest of cabbage? Start seedlings in mid-February. Start celery indoors in early March, and a couple weeks later follow with tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.
- Region 6 is generally at a 6,000 feet elevation, according to the University of Arizona College of Agriculture. That means you can start planting cool season vegetable seeds directly in your garden by around March 25. The rule of thumb is to avoid planting seeds until the threat of frost has passed. Beets, onions, peas and radishes can be planted in early spring. And when April rolls around, lettuce, spinach and corn can be added to your burgeoning bounty. Remember, radishes can be sowed regularly so that you'll have a continuous supply fresh from the garden.
- When the weather gets warmer in mid-May through to mid-June you can start weeding around those delicate shoots that have pushed through the soil. You can also start sowing carrot seeds, beans, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkin and squash. If you enjoy the bitter flavor of greens such as endive and collard, get those seeds in the soil too.
- It might seem counter-intuitive to start planting crops in early August when other plant are spent and ready to go to seed, but don't discount the super-sweet taste of crops harvested in cool weather, such as kale, spinach, broccoli, beets and cabbage. Although these vegetables love cold weather, you might be surprised that four types of lettuce grow in arid region 6 -- including leaf, iceberg, butter and romaine -- since this type of veggie matures in just 45 days.
Start Seeds Indoors
Early Spring
Late Spring
Plant for Fall and Winter Harvest
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