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Growing Edible Arizona Forests, An Illustrated Guide

Excerpt from leafnetworkaz.org

Edible Tree Guide LEARN Values, Characteristics of Edible Trees Network • Arizona Elevations for Trees Linking Edible Arizona Forests

Arizona Elevations for Trees. Many edible trees have an Arizona climate and altitude range suitable for good growth and the production of a reliable harvest. The LEAF network lists five general elevation categories where Arizona edible trees grow—Low Desert, Mid Desert, High Desert, High Plateau/Mountain and High Mountain, along with representative cities and towns within these elevation categories. The table Elevation Areas, Water Needs and Chill Requirements for Selected Edible Trees in Arizona summarizes this information for selected cities and towns in Arizona, as shown on the Map of Selected Arizona City and Town Elevation Areas. These elevations correlate with elevations shown below fruit photos at leafnetworkaz.org LEARN: Edible Trees that Grow in Arizona.

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The Edible Tree Directory at leafnetworkaz.org provides detailed 7$)%01%.+/+&!+5%$2':0-$%&'!(%$-5%!0,-%+/+4$!'0-%$2+$.% information about many Arizona edible ! ! ! ! ! ! )$*+% trees and elevations suitable for their! growth. Consult nurseries, the ! ! Cooperative Extension service, the! Low Mid High High High Internet, and plant books for additional! Desert Desert desert Plateau, Mountain !"#$%&'!(% information on different edible tree! Mountain species that thrive at specific elevation! ranges. 9'-*7$-% 1/$*.!$11% For example, capulin cherries are a ,'-./0,% tropical species that will thrive in the low /$9+% to mid desert areas. Traditional sweet 8$4$."% )2+.&0!!% cherries produce well in the mid desert region, sour cherries will produce a reliable harvest in the high plateau region, and the native black cherry will thrive and produce in high mountain )80+-'3% */0#+% areas. &$.$% *2$-5+% In addition, different varieties of the same ("7$% tree species can tolerate additional heat $60% and cold. For example Rome Beauty is a !"&.0-% ,'//&03% reliable apple tree for mountainous areas with late spring frosts and Anna’s Apple is .'+22$% a “low chill” variety that will produce in 4'.!$% the low desert regions. While many fruit crops are best suited for mid elevations in Arizona, several—such as apple, peach and plum—have low chill varieties that can be grown in the desert. In addition to elevation ranges, see leafnetworkaz.org LEARN - Chill Requirements to help choose trees for your location. To assist with choosing trees, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA*) and Sunset Magazine** have mapped and described planting zones for the U.S. These zones are based on minimum winter temperatures and may be found on many websites by entering your zip code. Nursery tags often indicate which zones are best for a specific tree. Climates of adjoining zones grade into one another near the boundaries, which may affect the trees that can survive in these regions. While using elevations and zones as guidelines, keep in mind that average temperatures might change from year to year and extremes of heat or cold may affect your edible trees along with many other conditions.

*USDA Planting zones http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-arizona-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php **Sunset Magazine planting zones http://www.sunset.com/garden/climate-zones/sunset-climate-zones-arizona

Selecting appropriate trees and placing them in beneficial environments will increase the likelihood that edible trees thrive and provide nourishing food resources to you and the community. Be ready to experiment! 2

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