What USDA Zone Am I In? A Simple Guide for Arizona Gardeners
If you know, you know! Arizona is known to be one of the most diverse growing regions in the entire country. From blazing conrete jungle & desert heat to snowy mountain towns, knowing your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone helps you choose fruit trees, berries, and other Sonoran Desert plant selections that will thrive in your area & microclimate.
Now, a quick caveat — the USDA Zones are ONLY for cold temperatures, not heat hardiness. This creates an extra layer of difficulty for many desert gardening newbies, so if you’re in the Phoenix Valley and not experienced with our climate, stick to the top contenders in Zone 10! Build your upper canopy & microclimates first, then move into the more touchy varieties.
Aright — here’s the simple breakdown so you can instantly understand where you fall.
🟧 Zone 10 — Low Desert (Hottest Parts of AZ)
Areas:
Central Phoenix (Arcadia, Downtown, Midtown, Biltmore)
Yuma
Parts of Tempe, Scottsdale, and Chandler (urban heat island pockets)
Winter lows: 30–40°F
What grows best: Low-chill fruit varieties, figs, pomegranates, jujubes, loquats, olives, desert-adapted ornamentals.
What struggles: High-chill apples, cherries, European pears, and many stone fruits.
🟨 Zone 9 — Low Desert (Outer Valley + Tucson Basin)
Areas:
Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Peoria, Glendale, Goodyear
Tucson (majority of the basin)
Surprise, Buckeye, Maricopa, Casa Grande
Winter lows: 25–35°F
What grows best: Low- to moderate-chill stone fruits, citrus, figs, grapes, pomegranates, jujubes, olives.
What struggles: Very high-chill apples and cherries, some European pears.
🟩 Zones 7–8 — High Desert (Cooler Winters, Mild Summers)
Areas:
Prescott & Prescott Valley
Payson
Sedona & Verde Valley
Cottonwood, Camp Verde
Kingman
Sierra Vista (most areas)
Winter lows: 10–25°F
What grows best: Most apples, European pears, plums, pluots, peaches, cherries, hardy pomegranates, grapes, cold-hardy figs.
What struggles: Ultra low-chill citrus and tropical/subtropical fruits.
This is the sweet spot for the widest fruit-tree selection in the state.
🟦 Zones 5–6 — High Elevation / Mountain Towns
Areas:
Flagstaff
Show Low
Pinetop-Lakeside
Williams
Heber-Overgaard
Alpine, Greer
Winter lows: -20 to 0°F
What grows best: High-chill apples, pears, plums, cherries, hardy berries, cold-hardy grapes, quince.
What struggles: Most warm-climate fruit trees — figs, pomegranates, citrus, low-chill stone fruits, and desert species.
🔍 How to Quickly Look Up Your Exact Zone
Visit the USDA map online
Type in your ZIP code
Confirm your zone to match the correct fruit tree variety
🎯 Final Reminder: Your microclimate matters too
You can be Zone 9 overall but Zone 10 in your backyard thanks to block walls, gravel, and urban heat — or a cooler microzone if you’re on a north-facing slope.
When in doubt, reach out on social media @permascaping. We can help you build a successful food forest layout anywhere in the desert Southwest.
