Know to Grow in Arizona

Growing in Arizona can mean many things, from agriculture business, to backyard gardening, to habitat conservation. Knowing what grows here can inspire us to get outdoors and plant more.

Arizona’s state borders span into 4 deserts: Sonoran Desert, Chihuahuan Desert, Mojave Desert and Great Basin Desert. Each desert has its own uniqueness in native flora and growing conditions. There are 194 mountain ranges named within the state borders which offer a variety of growing conditions. Our USDA Hardiness Zones range from 6a all the way up to 10a. Our soil conditions are just as varied.

When you travel around our state today, one thing that jumps out is how much of our land is open, natural and native vegetation. Arizona has 72.9 million acres of land in total. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages a little over 12 million acres. National Forest System has more than 11.2 million acres. The Arizona State Land Department manages State Trust Land of approximately 9.4 million acres. The Native American Trust lands holds 20.1 million acres. That means 12.9 million acres of Arizona land is privately owned.

Native Americans predated Spanish and English settlers by thousands of years and farmed this land successfully. Arizona is home to 22 recognized tribes. Through the state and universities, research groups are documenting and preserving many of the tribal farming techniques and heritage crops including agaves cultivation. Native Seeds/SEARCH is a non-profit seed bank working with indigenous communities to collect and preserve thousands of endangered traditional crops adapted to arid landscapes. You may have heard of tepid beans but have you tried to grow a tepid bean bush yet?

Agriculture has historically been a key economic pillar for Arizona, but it is no longer the state’s top industry. Arizona has over 15,000 farms and ranches. In 2023, the agriculture industry contributed $2.05 billion to Arizona’s gross domestic product (GDP). Maybe you have heard of the 5 C’s, three of which are agriculture (cattle, cotton and citrus). Some of Arizona’s top agricultural commodities include dairy products and cattle. Arizona developed one of the finest extra-long staple cottons. Arizona ranks second in the nation for lemons and third for tangerines. But did you also know… Arizona is the third largest producer of fresh market vegetables in the country. Yuma is the winter lettuce capital of the world – growing head lettuce, leaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce. Arizona is also a top grower of broccoli, cauliflower and apples. Arizona is the nation’s second leading producer of pistachios and dates. Arizona has the largest pecan grove in the country.

Arizona has an ideal climate for growing a lot of herbs. Herbs can be grown for culinary purposes, medicinal remedies and ornamental dyes. Arizona Herb Association is a non-profit maintaining a beautiful demonstration herb garden in Tempe that is well worth a visit. They also sell the seeds and host classes.

Arizona is also home to many beautifully maintained historic gardens and botanical gardens. As backyard gardeners, we get inspired by and learn a lot from visiting these gardens. Here are just a few noteworthy gardens worth visiting, supporting and volunteering at.