When average temperatures are over 70, it's time to plant hybrid Bermuda Grass. Also fee established Bermuda grass with 3 - 4 ponds of high-nitrogen fertilizer per 1,000 spare feet about two weeks after the grass greens up, and water in well.
Plant citrus this month from containers. Valencias are the preferred juice orange and Mandarin or Tangerine is the sweetest and easiest to peel but may be seedy. Triveta (ripens January), and Valencia (ripens March), Minneola Tangelo (ripens January but hangs on at least through now), Kinnow tangerine (ripens January but hangs on at least through now are popular as well as Lisbon lemon and Bears lime. Grapefruit is the easiest citrus to grow near Phoenix. The Kinnow has more seeds than the Minneola and my vote would be for the Minneola and Grapefruit but Trevita is very popular with many people who have only two trees. Citrus trees should be planted 12-15 feet on center and the best would be 20 feet on center to allow for the maximum growth and health of the tree. If they are planted too close together they will shade each other out on the touching sides and reduce your yield. If you have limited space, judicious pruning will affect the yield but allow for more varieties. When pruning, watch out for those thorns! After planting, make a basin around the tree and water two or three times a week until well established. To protect trees from sunburn, wrap trunks in white cloth or newspapers, or apply a coat of white latex paint.
And for those who like to eat good stuff from the garden, beans and cucumbers should be sown by mid-April, and set out eggplant, okra, peanuts, squash and sweet potato anytime this month. Since squash is so prolific, be wary of planting too much or you might be forced to make midnight deposits on neighbors' doorsteps to get rid of the overabundance. Tomatoes and peppers can still be set out. When planting tomatoes, pull off the lower leaves, especially if they are wilted and yellow, and lay the plant down in a sloping trench. This puts most of the stem in warmed soil with the top sticking out as the plant will put out roots all along the stem and the tomato will grow an upright stem. Don't forget all kinds of peppers, the hot ones especially like it here!
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