Each year (this is our 26th year), The Urban Farm Fruit Tree Program offers FREE education based on the owner Greg’s 50+ years of growing fruit trees in the desert…Yes, Greg planted his first fruit trees in Phoenix in 1975! Here are this year’s weekly offerings starting Sept 1, 2025. Oh, and if you are interested, we have a nice selection of climate and season appropriate trees for the low desert HERE.
"What You Need to Know Before You Buy a Fruit Tree"
Did you know that you can go into every big box store and most nurseries and they will sell you a fruit tree that will never make fruit?
Finding fruit trees in stores that will never make fruit made me mad, so I started teaching people about how to avoid these pitfalls. Discovering which fruit trees work in the desert and how to pick a perfect fruit tree for your yard can be challenging. Join us as we help you navigate the key information you need to make the best decision for you and your space.
"Three Ways to Kill Your Fruit Trees"
There are three things that most people do that accidentally kill their trees.
We will share what they are and then teach you how to avoid them - setting you up for ultimate fruit tree success! We will dive in and get a better understanding about how to make healthy soil for your tree to grow into. Plus, you will learn Farmer Greg’s 6/6 rule (A must for all fruit trees), and the best shape and size to dig your planting hole. Let us teach you how to avoid common mistakes.
"Planting, Watering, and Fertilizing Your Fruit Trees"
The long term health of fruit trees in our extreme desert climate depends on three aspects of loving and caring for your fruit tree.
Planting, watering, and applying fertilizers at the right times. Plants need to eat and drink daily just like we do, so fertilizing them once a year just isn’t enough. In this webinar we will dig into getting your fruit trees planted for success, discover Greg’s 50 year old watering methodology, observe Janis’s soil types and watering solutions, and learn how to properly fertilize (both foliar and granular) your trees for ultimate success.
"What Supplies do I Need For My Trees?"
Using the right planting mix and supplements can double your fruit tree’s chance of surviving its first critical year.
We strive to be very clear in our classes that you will spend as much on your planting supplies and supplements as you do on the tree. In this class we cover all the supplies you need to ensure your fruit tree investment pays off, and help you do the math to know how much you need and when. We will cover planting mixes, supplements, fertilizers, foliar feeds, watering devices, chlorine filters and so much more.
"Leveling Up Your Fruit Tree Care"
You can decide which level of tree care you are ready for based on your time, experience, and financial commitment.
You are not alone, we’ve personally had to level up our care to adapt to the extreme heat too. Through years of research and experience, and the help of our trusted fruit tree experts and mentors, we learned what is working for fruit trees these days. In this class we explain the basic level of care for your fruit trees and how to level up to get healthier, more productive trees that thrive in our extreme heat.
"Fruit Tree Q&A with Farmer Greg and Janis"
We know that despite everything we share in our classes, sometimes you still might have questions.
We are opening October's Tree Chat to just being available to answer questions. Join Greg, Janis and Ray for this class where YOU can present the questions (plus send pictures to fruittree@urbanfarm.org) and get answers to those you may not have thought to ask.