Hot summer temps don’t have to mean the end of your garden. Whether you’re gardening in Arizona or another desert climate, these 9 steps will help your garden not just survive, but thrive through the heat.
From smart watering tips to the best plants for hot weather, this video breaks down what actually works in a low-desert summer garden.
What you’ll learn:
– How to protect your plants from intense heat
– Why timing and microclimates matter
– Smart shade strategies and watering tips
– What to plant (and what to skip)
If you garden in a hot, dry climate, this is the summer survival guide you’ve been looking for.
Want help knowing exactly what to plant and when?
Check out my Vegetable & Herb Planting Guide for dates tailored to hot-climate gardening. https://growinginthegarden.bigcartel.com/product/vegetable-herb-fruit-planting-guide
Introduction 00:00
Tip 1 00:22
Tip 2 02:05
Tip 3 05:29
Tip 4 06:26
Tip 5 07:17
Tip 6 09:01
Tip 7 10:06
Tip 8 12:15
Tip 9 14:05
#hotsummergardentip #arizonagarden #desertgarden #summergardening
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45 Comments
Thank you
Your video is spot on for gardening in Arizona! Thank you for sharing!❤
I'm so glad I found your channel!! Last year, my squashes kept forming and dying and I couldn't figure out how to help them. I don't get too many bees around my house so this is super helpful to know how to hand pollinate.
I learned so much from this video as a new gardener in zone 9b … Thank you so much!❤🪴🙌🏾💯
Buckeye here! really thought i couldnt grow in the summer, but your video explains how to endure and thats so amazing. ive started small and slowly adding so all this info is encouraging. is there anything to do for the hard water? i am going to use solar irrigates and wondered if there is anything i should add to the water source? thank you.
i live in arcadia lite…just found you. i cant wait to watch how to survive the summers!
when do you plant onions and potatoes and how long does it take them to come to full growth. I am the west valley.
Such a great video! Lovely filming and amazing advice and information for hot season growing! I especially needed to hear that it’s not going to look as beautiful and perfect! I get all stressed out every year when the heat comes and things seem to stop growing or producing or even start dying. Thank you for such great practical tips-I need wood chips! Luckily we hav got the 90s yet here in central California but it will be coming soon! I’m so happy to have fouuyiur channel and can’t wait to watch more videos! Happy growing.
Hi Angela, I'm a new subscriber from Ajo, you neighbor to the south. Enjoyed your video and information very much. Looking forward to learning more from you. Cheers!
My luffas got super bitter last year during the summer. My guess is I over fertilized them stressing them out so I will try not fertilizing during the summer to see how they do.
I really appreciate this video and your channel. I’m in Central Texas and we get similar summers. Historically, we couldn’t keep anything alive, and our community talks about a lot of “over summering” tactics. Because of these tips, we can garden year round now.
I forgot to firtize my new citrus tree that I recently planted. Is it too late to get that in before we get really hot??? Phoenix AZ.
I live in Mesa and I've been wanting to learn how to garden in this heat. I just sent you a message on FB 😁 I would love to learn how to do all this. I've never planted anything. So glad I found your videos 💛
Very informative. Thank you
Any tips for dealing with heat from our block walls? I’m in Gilbert and and I feel like some of the plants near the wall just get cooked.
Thank you for all your work to educate us especially in the desert!
I love your videos, and I always come away with tips for my garden. Thanks for this video on summer heat gardening. I did not realize that my tomatoes and peppers appreciate some afternoon shade!
I'm so glad I found your channel! I'm in Surprise and have had the hardest time figuring out when to plant, water, fertilize etc., and was starting to get discouraged with my failed attempts at gardening. You've given me some hope and I'm ready to try again this fall.
Why does my sage always get soider mites??
Please help.
Thanks 😁
Drip irrigation has made gardening in my backyard fun again during the summer time. I am currently hand watering several grow bags right now and what a difference in water retention after adding mulch.
Beautiful garden!
Relaxing enjoying the vid. Came to mind about deep watering. Carrots are probably one of the deepest roots any of my veg. 8 inches or so. Most of the roots on leafy greens are in the top 4 inches. No one likes to say too much on watering. Too many variables I guess. Like the water an inch a week. You need to calculate that to get close.
How easy would it be is someone would say…water plant A 4 pints a week…for example.
My weather is usually very hot and dry in weird sandy soil.
She really is the best at this. These videos are such a trove of great information for those of us trying to grow anything in the desert
Where did you buy all your wood mulch? did you have like a ton of it delivered or have you just used bags and built up a good supply over the years? I garden in Tucson and have one raised bed and the rest is containers under shadecloth. It is a little discouraging trying to container garden in the heat but I don't have anyone who will help me with inground beds.Fruit does fine but veggies are a different story!
We are watching this because the sun blasts down on our house all day. The only thing that survives here in mesa is weeds and palm trees
Thank you so much for all of your helpful info. I am a new gardener and am realizing how much there is to learn! I also live in a hot summer climate. I really appreciate your channel.
Hi .. I started gardening in Mesa AZ area after seeing some of your videos, thanks for the inspiration.
Wondering where you got the Malabar spinach ? Been looking for it for a long time.
I absolutely love your videos. I bought your planting guide and I'm excited to use it to guide my 2025 planting schedule. I'm completely transforming my garden this fall in anticipation of spring 2025. My totally new infrastructure plan addresses my 6 most difficult issues: sun, heat, soil quality, water, pests, and wind. I hoping that my new infrastructure system will make a quantum leap in gardening performance for 2025. I live 25 miles north of Tucson at 3,200 feet elevation, so even though my temperatures are a bit cooler than Mesa AZ, your ideas and videos are very applicable to my gardening situation. THANK YOU for so many great videos.
Where do you buy the mulch and what kind. Thanks
Ok I love that you showed the stressed summer garden. It is part of the process in a long hot season garden and we should respect that. ❤
Also when its too hot to garden much started preserving what youve harvested, you can pickle, ferment, make jams and enjoy that harvest longer.
Can we visit your garden ?
I just bought a small citrus tree 1.5 gallon . I want to repot but how big is the pot I should repot it and can you give me some tips about the soil I should use
How do i store the soil rather where do you store ? what do you use to fill soil ?
Angela thank you so much for your AZ desert focused knowledge! It really helps us who are just starting out and winding up trying to rapidly prepare a new garden for the insane heat. We invested in some T-post suspended shade cloth and have put in some trees that will hopefully eventually help with the afternoon extremes!
Now I just need sweet potatoes to actually produce slips 😅
My biggest struggle is eradicating what's been called buffalo grass. It's like carpet twine. After soaking the ground i drive the shovel in, remove the grass and dig up to 10-12 inches deep, attempting to abolish the deepest networks of roots. A 3×3 ft square takes a full afternoon. I've won small victories in several sections but it consumes so much time I've been running late to make the early spring plantings. I've only been at gardening about a year. Any suggestions?
A tip for squash bug eggs: go out after dark and shine a bright flashlight at the ground under the leaves. The leaves are translucent enough that the eggs will give a very distinct shadow so that you can find them without having to turn over every leaf individually.
Stellar tips, as usual. 🌱🌞💜
Thank You so much – I am in South Texas, and no one else talks about REAL heat problems. This was extremely helpful
Not sure if you check older videos, but would love recipe ideas for fava beans. Google is not being helpful
Where do you get your mulch. It looks like it is fine enough to degrade by the next planting. Thank you. I am 9b
I like your videos. Really good information. I’m in zone 7b so some containers I overwinter in my garage with pretty good success, like sedums, hydrangea, etc. I haven’t had too much success with overwintering herbs. I put my rosemary in the ground this year and it’s thriving. My concern is how will it do over the winter without digging it up. Mulch, mulch and more mulch😅
I am really enjoying your videos. I am learning so much about herbs and veggies. Thank you.
What to do if you can't afford the type of watering system you show here? I confess, I'm a bit confused about what to do as just a regular person.
Id love to see a video on how your dry seeds and plants and veggies
Thankyou Angela as much S we care for our gardens nature always has the upper hand. We are heading into extreme temperance of over 100 F. It’s disappointing as you wait all year for tomatoes and as they are forming band the heat. Fingers crossed