Regional guide

Yuma County Planting and Harvesting Calendar

UA az1615 Yuma County calendar for cool/warm seasons, alkaline/saline soils, pest pressure, crop rows, depths, and harvest windows.

Climate signals

• The source is az1615, Planting and Harvesting Calendar for Gardeners in Yuma County, Reviewed March 2020 and originally published 02/2014.
• Yuma is known as the Winter Salad Bowl of the nation and produces over 90% of the winter leafy greens and vegetables consumed in the United States.
• Yuma has two distinct growing seasons: September through February is the cool season, and March through August is the warm season.
• The cool season is best for non-fruiting crops such as lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, which can survive Yuma's occasional light frost.
• The warm season is best for fruiting crops such as tomatoes, squash, melons, and peppers, which can handle warmer spring temperatures.
• Yuma soil is naturally high in pH, often with pH values of 8 or 9, so adding lime is normally not advisable without soil testing.
• Yuma gardens can have high soil salinity from irrigation water; the source describes gypsum followed by a long slow soaking to move sodium below the root zone.

Planning notes

• Mild winters and hot summers create an ideal climate for survival of insect, disease, and weed species.
• Watch for virus vectors like whitefly; Verticillium and fusarium wilt can affect lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and chiles, and the source says crop rotation is the remedy.
• The calendar is made for seeds unless otherwise noted, but transplants can also be planted during these times.
• Although some cool season crops include September rows, UA suggests most gardeners wait until October when the weather cools unless they provide shade and enough irrigation.
• Basil row is Year round planting and Year round harvest, with 1/2 inch planting depth, 30 inch row width, and 4 inch plant spacing.
• Cilantro row is September-December planting and January-April harvest, with 1/4 inch planting depth, 30 inch row width, and 1-2 inch plant spacing.
• Beans, Green row is March-April planting and May-June harvest, with 1/2 to 1 inch planting depth, 30 inch row width, and 3-4 inch plant spacing.
• Broccoli row is September-December planting and December-April harvest, with 1/2 inch planting depth, 36 inch row width, and 10 to 12 inch plant spacing.
• Carrot row is September-December planting and January-April harvest, with 1/8 inch planting depth, 20 inch row width, and 1-2 inch plant spacing.
• Cucumber row is September and Feb.-Mar. planting, with Nov. and May-July harvest windows.
• Melons row covers Cantaloupe, Honeydew, and Watermelon, with February-March planting and May-June harvest.
• Peppers/Chiles row is September and Feb.-Mar. planting, with Nov. and May-July harvest windows.
• Squash, Summer and Winter row is February-March planting and May-June harvest.
• Tomato row is February-March planting and May-July harvest.
• Use the onion catalog link only for the green onion row, not the bulb onion row.
• Use the turnip link only as a crop-level example for the Turnip Greens row.
• Use these priority catalog links as crop-row examples, not UA cultivar recommendations.

Catalog crop examples

These catalog entries match crops covered by the regional timing source; variety-specific details remain tied to each seed entry's own source.

• Green Globe Artichoke Vegetable · Warm · 120 days
• Genovese Basil Herb · Warm · 68 days
• Provider Bush Bean Vegetable · Warm · 50 days
• Detroit Dark Red Beet Vegetable · Cool · 58 days
• White Stem Bok Choy Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
• Waltham 29 Broccoli Vegetable · Cool · 74 days
• Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts Vegetable · Cool · 100 days
• Golden Acre Cabbage Vegetable · Cool · 64 days
• Danvers 126 Carrot Vegetable · Shoulder · 70 days
• Snowball Y Cauliflower Vegetable · Cool · 70 days
• Tall Utah Celery Vegetable · Cool · 110 days
• Bright Lights Swiss Chard Vegetable · Shoulder · 55 days
• Santo Cilantro Herb · Cool · 50 days
• Golden Bantam Sweet Corn Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
• Marketmore 76 Cucumber Vegetable · Warm · 58 days
• Bouquet Dill Herb · Shoulder · 55 days
• Black Beauty Eggplant Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
• Florence Fennel Herb · Warm · 80 days
• Lacinato Kale Vegetable · Cool · 60 days
• American Flag Leek Vegetable · Cool · 120 days
• Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
• Hale's Best Jumbo Melon Vegetable · Warm · 85 days
• Clemson Spineless Okra Vegetable · Warm · 56 days
• Evergreen Bunching Onion Vegetable · Shoulder · 65 days
• Greek Oregano Herb · Warm · 90 days
• Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Herb · Shoulder · 75 days
• Sugar Snap Pea Vegetable · Cool · 62 days
• California Wonder Pepper Vegetable · Warm · 72 days
• French Breakfast Radish Vegetable · Cool · 28 days
• Broadleaf Sage Herb · Warm · 75 days
• Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
• Delicata Winter Squash Vegetable · Warm · 100 days
• Waltham Butternut Squash Vegetable · Warm · 95 days
• Common Summer Savory Herb · Warm · 60 days
• Common Thyme Herb · Shoulder · 90 days
• Roma Tomato Vegetable · Warm · 76 days
• Purple Top White Globe Turnip Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
• Sugar Baby Watermelon Vegetable · Warm · 80 days

Related regional guides

• Maricopa County Low-Desert Vegetable Garden UA az1005 Maricopa County calendar for low-desert heat, spring/fall seasons, S/T/X rows, pest timing, and soil temperatures.
• Arizona Elevation-Band Vegetable Garden UA Cooperative Extension guide for Arizona vegetable timing by elevation, heat, cold, frost dates, and crop adaptation.
• Pima County Vegetable Planting and Harvesting Guide UA Pima County half-month vegetable table with sow, transplant, harvest, do-not-plant markers, crop rows, and local timing examples.

Source: UA Cooperative Extension Yuma County Planting and Harvesting Calendar