Why shade matters for heat
Pavement, rooftops, and bare ground soak up sun all day and release heat at night. This "urban heat island" effect keeps cities like Phoenix hotter than the surrounding desert, especially after dark, when bodies need to recover. Trees fight back by blocking sun and cooling the air through their leaves.
Plant smart: utilities recommend planting shade trees on the south, west, or east sides of your home, roughly 15–20 feet from walls and windows (SRP). Choose desert-adapted species, and call Arizona 811 before you dig to locate underground lines.
Free & low-cost shade tree programs
Programs change from year to year. Check each official page for current dates and eligibility. Information verified October 2026.
SRP Shade Tree Program
What: two free desert-adapted shade trees (such as mesquite, palo verde, desert willow) after a free online workshop, run with the nonprofit Trees Matter. Workshops are bilingual (English/Spanish).
Who: current residential SRP electric customers who have the legal right to plant, can care for the trees, plant on the south/west/east side of the home, and haven't received SRP trees for that property before.
Phoenix Community Canopy (Tree & Shade Programs)
What: the City's Office of Heat Response & Mitigation has provided up to two free trees, planted by the city, with a care kit, in low-canopy priority neighborhoods. Phoenix also adopted the Shade Phoenix Plan, the nation's first city shade plan.
Status: the grant is closed to new individual applicants, but plantings continue through 2028 and some funded neighborhoods are still signing up residents. Check the page for future rounds.
APS Community Tree Program
What: grants of $1,000–$10,000 to buy trees, stakes, and ties for community planting projects in high-need, low-canopy areas.
Who: organizations, not individuals. Nonprofits, Title 1 schools, neighborhood associations, block watches, and municipalities in limited-income areas of APS territory get priority. A great option for organizing a neighborhood planting.
Trees Matter
What: Phoenix-based nonprofit (formerly the Valley Permaculture Alliance) that runs utility shade-tree workshops and distributions, school and community plantings, tree education, and volunteer opportunities.
Arizona Community Tree Council
Statewide nonprofit supporting community forestry: education, events, and resources for planting and caring for trees in Arizona.
Neighborhood tree events
Neighborhood associations, block watches, and other cities in the Valley periodically host free tree giveaways and plantings, often funded by the programs above. Ask your neighborhood association, follow your city's sustainability or heat office, or dial 211.
Growing food in the Phoenix low desert
Phoenix can grow food nearly year-round, just not on the same calendar as the rest of the country. Start small, build soil, and plant for the season.
Two main planting seasons
Cool season (fall into winter)
Our most productive vegetable season. Leafy greens, lettuce, kale, chard, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beets, radishes, peas, onions, garlic, and herbs like cilantro and parsley.
Warm season (late winter into spring)
Plant early so crops mature before extreme heat: tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans, melons, corn. Heat lovers like okra, black-eyed peas, Armenian cucumber, and sweet potatoes keep going into summer.
Use the UA Cooperative Extension Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County for exact planting windows by crop.
Desert-adapted & native food plants
Mesquite
Native shade tree. Pods can be ground into a sweet, nutritious flour. Fixes nitrogen in soil.
Prickly pear
Native cactus. Edible pads (nopales) and fruit (tunas), on almost no supplemental water once established.
Citrus
Oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and mandarins thrive here, with a winter harvest when other food is scarce.
Pomegranate
Very heat- and drought-tolerant. Fruits in fall.
Fig
Productive and well suited to the Valley. Give afternoon shade when young.
Moringa
Fast-growing, heat-loving "drumstick tree" with edible, nutritious leaves. Protect from frost.
Dates, grapes & jujube
Other long-time desert performers for larger spaces or arbors.
Native seeds
Tepary beans, Sonoran wheat, and native squashes are adapted to heat and low water. Find them at Native Seeds/SEARCH.
Backyard vs. community garden
Backyard
- Start with one raised bed or a few large containers near a hose.
- Pick a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade; use shade cloth over beds in summer.
- Put in drip irrigation on a timer, which is more efficient than hand watering.
- Add one fruit tree in a basin that captures rain.
Community garden
- No yard? Rent a plot. Find one on the Maricopa County Seed Library, School & Community Garden Map.
- Share tools, compost, seeds, and know-how with experienced growers.
- Community gardens build the neighbor networks that matter most in emergencies.
Soil, mulch, compost & chickens
- Mulch everything (wood chips, straw, leaves) to keep roots cooler and cut evaporation. Keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks.
- Compost kitchen scraps and yard waste to build our typically low-organic desert soils. Keep the pile moist and shaded in summer.
- Backyard hens provide eggs and manure for compost. Arizona law (A.R.S. 9-462.12) generally lets residents of single-family homes on lots of half an acre or less keep up to six fowl in the backyard, and cities may ban roosters. In Phoenix, enclosures must not be in the front yard and must be at least 20 feet from neighboring property lines unless neighbors give written consent (City Code 8-7). Check your city and HOA rules, and give hens deep shade and water in summer.
Long-term benefits: fresh food when supply chains are strained, shade that lowers cooling costs and protects your home, healthier soil that holds rainwater, and a stronger neighborhood network. A garden is preparedness you can eat.
Water harvesting & greywater
- Rainwater earthworks: shape shallow basins around trees and swales along slopes so rain soaks in where plants need it. Direct roof downspouts into planted basins. Phoenix averages about 7.22 inches of rain a year (NWS 1991–2020 normals), much of it in monsoon storms, so every drop counts.
- Rain math: 1 inch of rain on 1,000 sq ft of roof is about 623 gallons. Real-world capture is lower once you account for splash, evaporation, and full tanks.
- Cisterns and rain barrels store water for dry spells. Cover openings so mosquitoes can't breed.
- Greywater (Arizona rules): under ADEQ's Type 1 general permit, households using less than 400 gallons per day can reuse water from washing machines, showers, tubs, and bathroom sinks without applying for a permit. You may not use kitchen sink, dishwasher, or toilet water. Apply it by drip or flood/basin (no spraying), avoid standing water and human contact, and don't use it on food crops except citrus and nut trees. See the ADEQ gray water brochure and the full rule (R18-9-D701).
- Learn more from rainwater-harvesting educator Brad Lancaster: HarvestingRainwater.com.
Water cost vs. harvest value
Does growing food in Phoenix pay off? Here are worked examples using official water rates, University of Arizona water-use data, published yield studies, and U.S. average grocery prices. All results are estimates. Your soil, sun, variety, skill, and weather will change them.
Phoenix water rates used
| Season (City of Phoenix, inside city) | Volume charge per CCF | + Environmental charge | Cost per 1,000 gallons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low: Dec–Mar | $4.93 | $0.62 | $7.42 |
| Medium: Apr, May, Oct, Nov | $5.65 | $0.62 | $8.38 |
| High: Jun–Sep | $6.13 | $0.62 | $9.02 |
1 CCF = 748 gallons. Rates effective March 1, 2025 (City of Phoenix Water & Sewer Rates). Assumes garden water is billed beyond the monthly allowance (5 CCF Oct–May, 8 CCF Jun–Sep) that's included in the service charge; excludes sales tax. Residents outside Phoenix city limits or in other cities pay different rates.
Worked examples
| Scenario | Water / year | Est. water cost | Est. harvest | Est. grocery value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft raised bed, one cool season (~20 weeks, Oct–Feb), 1 inch of water/week | ~1,250 gal | ~$10 | ~75 lb vegetables (0.75 lb/sq ft) | ~$148 (at $1.98/lb) |
| One mature orange tree, 14 ft canopy, watered per UA Extension table | ~5,560 gal | ~$48 | ~165–332 lb oranges | ~$282–$567 (at $1.71/lb) |
| Small food forest: 3 mature orange trees (14 ft canopy) + one 100 sq ft bed | ~17,940 gal | ~$154 | ~495–996 lb citrus + ~75 lb vegetables | ~$994–$1,850 |
| Add rain harvesting: 1,000 sq ft roof in an average year | Up to ~4,500 gal captured (theoretical max) | Saves up to ~$33–$41 | Plus deep-watered trees, less runoff, and a buffer during water restrictions | |
Assumptions & sources
- Vegetable water: "Vegetable crops need about an inch of water per week," University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Backyard Vegetable Garden Irrigation. 1 inch over 1 sq ft = 0.623 gal. Phoenix summers often require more, and the cool season is the most water-efficient time to grow.
- Citrus water: monthly gallons/day by canopy size from UA Cooperative Extension, Irrigating Citrus Trees (AZ1151): mature citrus use about 60 inches of water per year. Lemons and grapefruit use about 20% more than oranges; mandarins about 10% less. Costs use each month's seasonal rate.
- Vegetable yield: 0.75 lb per sq ft measured in community garden plots: Algert, Baameur & Renvall (2014), "Vegetable Output and Cost Savings of Community Gardens in San Jose, California," Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. A related 2016 study of home gardens found about 1.23 lb/sq ft. Yields in Phoenix may differ.
- Orange yield: mature navel orange trees produced about 165–332 lb per tree in the 2008–09 University of Arizona cultivar trial at Waddell, AZ (west Valley): Wright, G.C., "Cultivar Selection Trials of Navel Orange in Arizona", UA Citrus Research Report. Commercial trial trees may be larger and better managed than backyard trees, and young trees produce much less.
- Grocery prices: U.S. city average retail prices, August 2026: navel oranges $1.709/lb (BLS APU0000711311), lemons $2.114/lb (BLS APU0000711412), field-grown tomatoes $1.977/lb (BLS APU0000712311), used here as a stand-in price for mixed vegetables. Greens and herbs often cost far more per pound, so this is conservative.
- Rain: 7.22 in/year normal at Phoenix Sky Harbor (NWS); 1,000 sq ft × 7.22 in × 0.623 = ~4,500 gal theoretical maximum.
- Not included: startup costs (beds, soil, drip system, trees), fertilizer, your time, sales tax, and the extra value of shade lowering your cooling bill.
Garden water & value calculator
Defaults match the worked examples above. Change any number to fit your yard. Estimates only; nothing is saved or sent.
Water cost uses Phoenix inside-city rates (effective March 1, 2025), billed beyond the monthly allowance. Citrus costs use month-by-month rates; rain/greywater offsets are valued at the medium rate. Startup costs aren't included.
Learn from locals
Enlightenment Garden: a Phoenix-area channel documenting the transformation of a half-acre backyard into a food forest with 100+ edible and medicinal trees (tropical, subtropical, and stone fruit), and trials of more than 80 fig varieties. Tours, plant highlights, and how-tos for hot desert climates.
More Valley growers worth following:
- Growing In The Garden: low-desert vegetable and fruit growing from a garden in Mesa, with monthly planting guides.
- Shamus O'Leary: growing tropical fruit trees (mango, avocado, banana) in Phoenix.
- The Green Yard: building a home food forest and touring others around the Valley.
- Greg Peterson / The Urban Farm: longtime Phoenix urban-farming educator (urbanfarm.org).
Local resources
Maricopa County Master Gardeners
UA Cooperative Extension volunteers answering local garden questions, with classes and publications.
Community gardens & seed libraries map
Find community gardens, school gardens, and seed libraries across the county.
Phoenix Public Library Seed Library
Borrow free vegetable, fruit, and flower seeds with a library card, and find growing instructions.
Native Seeds/SEARCH
Tucson-based nonprofit conserving and selling arid-adapted Southwest crop seeds.
Desert Botanical Garden classes
Adult classes on low-desert gardening, edible gardens, and landscaping.
Trees Matter
The Valley's tree nonprofit (formerly Valley Permaculture Alliance): shade tree programs, education, and volunteering.
AMWUA watering guides
Arizona Municipal Water Users Association landscape watering schedules for the Valley.