About the Fruit Tree Program

The Urban Farm Fruit Tree Program began in 1999. Classes were held in Greg’s living room to teach people how to grow fruit trees in Phoenix. Later that year, 100 trees were ordered for valley residents and the program was officially created. 

The Urban Farm Fruit Tree Program is committed to providing education to residents in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona to successfully grow beautiful fruit trees and create more local urban farms. We source fruit trees from the absolute best growers and bring them to Phoenix during prime planting season.

We’ve come a LONG way from those first classes held in Greg’s living room in 1999. Since then we have helped at least 35,000 fruit trees get planted with thousands and thousands more to go!

Why plant fruit trees in your garden? Two words: fruit and trees. Fruit trees provide maximum benefit with very little effort. Plant a fruit tree once, and it will provide for you for YEARS to come. Not just fruit, but cooling shade, mulch for your yard, and a habitat for beneficial insects & birds.

How the Program Works

The program is simple.  Take these three steps, listed below:

Learn

Step 1 – Learn.  It all starts with education.  Learn how to plant your trees, bushes and vines to maximize your chances of success.  Starting in September each year, we hold on-going workshops, classes, and open houses to cover all the basics and answer your questions.

  • Take a class – onlinepre-recorded or in person.
  • Do your own research and create a plan.
  • If you need additional help, click HERE to order a Phone Consultation with Farmer Greg.
 

Order

Early Bird Order Deadline first Saturday in November each year.

Step 2 – Place your order.  Our mission is to make the best quality trees available for your purchase.  We have to place our bulk order in April of each year for delivery the following January.  Although we do our best to anticipate your needs, we do sometimes run out of popular items. Placing your order early is encouraged!

  • November 7, 2020 is the Urban Farm Special Order Fruit Tree and Early Bird Bundle order deadline.  At that time the early bundle pricing disappears.
  • Use Greg’s personal recommendations!  You will find Greg’s favorite trees noted in the shopping cart.  These are the ones that he has grown and proven here in the desert.
  • For those with more experience, there’s the Urban Farm Special Order Fruit Tree program.  We’re able to give you access to the Dave Wilson Nursery’s entire wholesale catalog.  But there’s a catch – you have to do your homework first, or you could end up with trees that won’t survive or will never bear fruit.  As much as we love Rainier cherries, there are good reasons why you don’t see them growing in the desert.  It’s critically important to know those reasons BEFORE you make your selections!
 

Pick Up & Plant

Step 3 – Pick up your goodies.  Please note – we DO NOT ship trees, vines, bushes, compost or fertilizer.  You need to physically come down and pick them up during our pop-up nursery times in October/November and January/February.

  • October/November is when our citrus are available for pickup. These plants arrive potted. With our typical freezes occurring in mid-late February, planting them this time of year gives them the best chance to get established after the high desert temperatures have diminished and before the first frost arrives.
  • January is the month when our deciduous fruit trees and some tropicals are available for pickup.  Deciduous trees are dormant in the winter, and we receive them bare-root (not potted).  Getting them in the ground immediately is critical to maintain the health of their roots so they will be ready to go when they break dormancy in the spring.