Every June, a strong high pressure system builds and brings moisture into the state from the Gulf of California and Gulf of Mexico. The first thunderstorms usually arrive around early July. The rain comes fast and furious, from clouds towering 50,000 feet into the sky. The season lasts until September 13. 

How long will it rain? On average, our area can expect 56 monsoon days each year but it has ranged anywhere from 27 to 99 days. 

How much rain will we get? The amount of monsoon rain in Phoenix varies greatly, from nearly 6 inches in 2008 to less than an inch in 2007. And while the valley gets about 1/3 of its rain from the summer storms, Tucson and Alpine get more than half of their annual precipitation in the summer.

If you have a lawn or a garden in our Arizona desert, you might need a little assistance with what to expect in your garden, and what to NOT do in your garden at certain times of the year. Here are some basic tips for caring for your desert plants, flowers, and vegetables. 

1. Don't over water. Yes, it's very hot in the desert in June, so it might seem like watering more is the answer. Not necessarily true. Water slowly (prevents run off), deeply (use a soil probe or a long handled screwdriver to check that the water is penetrating 2-3 ft. deep for trees and shrubs, and 1- 1 1/2 ft. deep for turf and flowers), and infrequently (let the soil dry between watering).
2. Do not prune citrus during the summer.
3. Don't shade corn, squash, melons, black-eyed peas, okra, or grapes.
4. Don't add fertilizer to dry soil. If you apply dry fertilizer on dry soil and water it in, the fertilizer is carried toward the roots as a concentrated solution and will burn them. Always water first, then apply fertilizers to moist soils, and then continue with the rest of the water.