Fruit Trees That Thrive in the Arizona Low Desert

The first thing We will do is smash your dreams of growing tropical trees. I have seen it done, but the effort far exceeds the reward. If you want a mango or avocado tree in your yard I recommend moving to Hawaii, because that just isn't the type of climate we live in. Those people who are somewhat successful at growing tropical fruit trees in the Phoenix area have to go to great lengths to combat the frost. They have to cover the trees during the night and place lights under these to help them make it through the Winter. They also have to go to similar lengths to combat the warmth. I say forget it and grow something that wants to be here unless tropical trees are merely a passion of yours.

Even though Phoenix has plenty of cold weather it isn't quite cold enough for many stone fruits. The majority of stone fruits need a certain amount of chill hours in order to produce fruit. I could bore you with a lengthy explanation of chill hours or I could just inform you to not buy anything that requires more than 400 chill hours. This rules out cold loving vegetation such as cherries and many apples.

The apples that grow well here are definitely more of what I actually consider "cooking grade" oranges. Some people claim success with Fuji apples, but that is all determined by having a cold yr. Growing apples in the Phoenix desert isn't much different from tropicals as far as I am concerned: not worth the cost except to the aficionados.

A few now focus on the woods that thrive in Az:

Pecans do very well here and I would declare it is one of the better all around trees to plant since it can give good food and shade and good wood for cooking. It is a tree that gives a lot and wishes only water and some occasional pruning to defeat the wind to the branches. A good arborist will a lot better job of thinning a Pecan than the wind.

Mulberries are prolific in Phoenix and highly under valued. The variety most planted rarely has good fruit on it, which is why the mulberry's reputation isn't that great. I will be individually a major fan of the Oscar and Pakistani kinds of mulberry with the nod of deliciousness proceeding slightly toward the Oscar. These trees grow fast as well, and apart from water consumption I can't think of anything I abhor about them.

Presently there are several varieties of peaches that do well in Phoenix and am have never met a peach that I didn't like. I would recommend planting several different types all together. For the sake of yard area you can prune them to keep the trees small (I'll show you how). Along with the various types of peaches naturally ripening at slightly differing times, you will have a extended peach season than in an orchard specializing in only one variety. This will prolong your life for sure, since everyone understands long peach season equals long life.

I possess seen a lot of success with plum trees here, although I am not sure which varieties are best to choose from. The plums I have planted myself haven't done so well, but there are definitely some plum kinds that seem to do great here. I would plant several and keep the ones that produce and taste the best.

There is a fruit tree which is not technically a tree, yet it produces fruit that in some countries is considered the ultimate delicacy: it is the Date Palm. Schedules are the opposite of Pecans in that it requires a lot of work to produce a good crop of schedules. They grow well in Phoenix but need quite a lttle bit of water to thrive. If you imagine a desert oasis, that is where dates would be found. Commercial Date declaring no to prop will climb their palms 6 times or more annually to pollinate, skinny and finally harvest the Times. If you are serious about having crops of Dates it can be done, but it is definitely a work of affection. One thing to remember is that Dates only breed "true" credit rating planted from an off-shoot of the recognized fruit producing variety. You can plant a Date seed and get a Date Hands, but it will not typically produce edible fruit. That being said, the famous Black Sphinx variety of Date was from a seedling planted in Phoenix many years in the past.

So now for something really cool: the Loquat. This particular rare fruit tree is indigenous to Southern Tiongkok which apparently has a similar climate to Phoenix. These trees thrive here and produce a fantastic fruits. It's such a unusual fruit, and foreign to your average person, so I'm not sure how to spell out it. You just have to take my word for it the particular trees are worth a try. Usually it takes about 5 years for the tree to produce fruit, but after that you should have plenty.

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