---
name: dubai-kitchen-garden
description: Start and run a vegetable, herb or fruit garden in Dubai - when to sow, raised bed vs pots vs a fruit-tree corner, soil, watering, shade, and what to do in summer. Use when someone asks "start a vegetable patch on my balcony in Dubai", "when can I plant tomatoes in the UAE", "can I grow herbs in summer", "how do I build a raised bed in Dubai", "what vegetables grow in Dubai", or "is it too hot to grow food". Gives a month-by-month sowing and harvest calendar and a summer plan, with every plant linked to its profile. Read-only, free, no sign-in.
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# Kitchen garden in Dubai

Help someone grow food at home in Dubai: pick a setup, time the sowing, build the bed, and get through summer. Dubai's growing year is back to front compared with Europe's: roughly October to March is for growing, June to September is for survival, and September is for preparation.

## When to use this skill

- "I want to start a vegetable patch / grow herbs on my balcony / villa."
- "When do I sow tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, okra, chillies in Dubai?"
- "Can I grow vegetables in summer? Is it too hot?"
- "How do I build a raised bed here? What soil?"
- "Which fruit trees grow in Dubai?"

For ornamental plants and "what to plant this month" in general, use `dubai-what-to-plant`. For one plant's troubleshooting, use `dubai-plant-care`.

## Get the data

**Preferred: the MCP server** at `https://plantguide.ae/mcp` (no sign-in, read-only). In this order:

1. `get_kitchen_garden_guide` (no arguments): the sowing and harvest calendar, the three setups (villa raised beds, balcony and pots, fruit-tree corner), the step-by-step bed build, the summer plan, common mistakes and FAQ.
2. `get_planting_calendar` with no filter returns the kitchen-garden rows; with `category` (`vegetable`, `herb`, `fruit-tree`) or `slugs` it compares the crops you shortlist (sow, plant, harvest, feed months).
3. `what_to_plant` with `month` and `group: "vegetables-herbs"` to see what is sowable and what is ready to pick in the person's month, plus that month's tips and watch-outs.
4. `search_plants` with `category: ["vegetable"]` (or `herb`, `fruit-tree`) and `plantingMonth` to list crops for a month; add `minHeat` for summer.
5. `get_plant` for each crop you recommend (summer and winter watering, soil, feeding, pests, mistakes).
6. `get_dubai_climate` for temperatures and the month's garden tasks.

**Fallback: Markdown mirrors** (append `.md` or send `Accept: text/markdown`):

- `https://plantguide.ae/kitchen-garden.md` (the whole guide)
- `https://plantguide.ae/what-to-plant/october.md`, `https://plantguide.ae/plants/okra.md`, `https://plantguide.ae/plants/cherry-tomato.md`
- `https://plantguide.ae/calendar.md`

**Fallback: JSON API** (`GET` query parameters; errors teach):

- `https://plantguide.ae/api/v1/get_kitchen_garden_guide`
- `https://plantguide.ae/api/v1/search_plants?category=vegetable&plantingMonth=10&limit=10`
- `https://plantguide.ae/api/v1/get_planting_calendar?category=herb`

## Workflow

1. **Establish context.** Month (Dubai time, UTC+4); the space (villa ground, balcony or terrace pots, a sunny corner for a tree); sun (full sun October to March is ideal; afternoon shade matters from April); how it will be watered (drip on a timer, hand watering) and the water source (see the TSE rule below); experience; what they want to eat. Ask only what changes the plan.
2. **Pick the setup** from `get_kitchen_garden_guide`: raised beds for a villa, fewer-but-bigger pots for a balcony, a fruit-tree corner for lemon, fig or pomegranate. Most gardens end up with a bit of each.
3. **Time it to the month**, using the table below and `get_planting_calendar`:
   - **June to August:** do not start a bed. Plan, order seed, build the bed late August, start seed trays in shade (see the summer plan).
   - **September:** prepare the soil; heat-loving crops only, with afternoon shade; hold cool-season crops.
   - **October to February:** the sowing window for most crops.
   - **March to May:** swap to heat-lovers (okra, aubergine, Armenian cucumber, sweet potato) and fit shade.
4. **Choose 4 to 8 crops.** For a first-timer start with herbs and lettuce (pickable within about two months of sowing in cool weather); cherry tomato is the classic first crop (picking from January); okra, mint and rosemary have the highest ease-of-care among our vegetables and herbs (4 out of 5). Link each to its profile.
5. **Give the setup specifics** (size, soil, water, shade) from the rules below.
6. **Close with the summer plan** so they are not surprised in May.

## Dubai rules of thumb

From the site's content. Temperatures are Dubai International Airport 1991-2020 normals (average highs: Sep 39.5 C, Oct 35.9 C, Mar 28.9 C, Apr 33.7 C, May 38.2 C).

- **Sowing window:** September to February for most crops. Start seed in shaded trays in September and plant out from October, when the average high drops below 36 C. Planting cool-season crops out in September scorches and stalls them.
- **October:** broccoli, cabbage, root crops and herbs. **November:** lettuce, spinach, kale, chard, radishes, carrots, beetroot, peas and coriander, once nights cool. Lettuce, spinach and peas bolt or fail if sown in September.
- **September exception:** heat-lovers (cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkin, beans, corn; tomato and pepper transplants) can go out with afternoon shade for the first fortnight.
- **Sow little and often:** a short row every two weeks, not one big sowing. Lettuce and coriander can be sown until February; start tomatoes by December; the main aubergine and chilli crops by October.
- **Okra is the exception to everything:** sown in spring (trays in February-March, planted out March-April), it fruits through the summer if watered deeply and mulched.
- **Raised bed:** 1.2 m wide so you can reach the middle from both sides (2.4 m long suits standard timber); long side north-south; 30 cm of soil for salad and herbs, 45 cm for the rest. Timber is the easy choice; blockwork is permanent; steel (corten included) heats up in summer sun, so line or shade it; avoid creosoted sleepers.
- **Soil:** Dubai's native ground is sand, which holds little water or nutrient. Fill beds with screened low-salinity "sweet soil" blended with compost or well-rotted manure, about a quarter compost by volume to start; ask the supplier for the soil's salinity (EC) reading and top up with compost each season. Fresh manure heats the soil: use well-rotted or aged, applied early.
- **Water:** a drip line on a timer finishing before 8am (DEWA's cut-off; earlier is better), deep and less often, letting the surface dry between waterings. As a planning figure, about 2 litres per m2 per day in winter and 4 in summer for drip-fed beds. **Treated sewage effluent (TSE) is not allowed on vegetables and fruit people eat:** ask which supply feeds the lines and give edible beds mains water.
- **Shade:** fix a frame over the bed at build time; put 30-50% shade cloth on in April (average high about 34 C) and keep it until the heat breaks. By May lettuce bolts, coriander runs to seed and fruit scalds.
- **Mulch** with organic matter, 5-7 cm; skip black plastic. Rotate nightshades (tomato, aubergine, chilli) to a different bed each year, because soil pests and diseases attack the same plant family year after year (okra, for one, builds up root-knot nematodes).
- **Pots:** fewer, bigger pots hold moisture and keep roots cooler; light colours (dark plastic overheats); potting mix with compost, never soil dug from the garden; morning sun and afternoon shade; check daily and water when the top 2-3 cm is dry. Mint, coriander and basil tolerate part shade.
- **Fruit-tree corner:** full sun, plant October to March, shade young trees through their first summer and be patient (a few years to crop fully). Check mature size first: lemon 2-4.5 m, pomegranate 2-6 m. Figs and papaya want shelter from summer wind. Plant in a wide shallow basin and keep mulch clear of the trunk.
- **Pests and disease:** spider mites on beans and cucumbers in hot dry weather (April); powdery mildew on cucurbits on cool humid nights (November), so give plants room and thin seedlings early; aphids on soft growth in winter.
- **Context:** the UAE launched the national "Plant the Emirates" programme in October 2024 to encourage households to grow food at home.

### Kitchen calendar

Heat is the plant's 1-5 summer heat rating (higher is more tolerant). Months from each plant's own page.

| Crop | Heat | Sow or plant | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry tomato | 2 | sow Sep-Dec | Jan-Apr |
| Lettuce | 1 | sow Oct-Feb | Dec-Apr |
| Aubergine | 4 | sow Sep-Oct, Feb-Mar (trays Aug); plant out Sep-Nov | Dec-May |
| Chilli | 3 | sow Sep-Oct, Feb-Apr (trays Aug); plant out Sep-Nov | Dec-May |
| Cucumber | 2 | sow Sep, Feb-Mar (trays Aug); plant out Sep-Oct, Mar-Apr | Oct-Dec, Apr-Jun |
| Okra | 5 | sow Feb-May | May-Nov |
| Coriander | 1 | sow Oct-Feb | Nov-May |
| Basil | 3 | sow Sep-Nov | Nov-May |
| Mint | 2 | plant Sep-Nov | Nov-Apr |
| Rosemary | 5 | plant Oct-Nov | evergreen, once established |
| Curry leaf | 3 | plant Oct-Nov, Mar-Apr | all year |
| Lemongrass | 4 | plant Oct-Nov, Mar-Apr | Sep-Nov, Apr-Aug |

### Summer plan (June to September)

From June the average high is about 40 C or more and nights stay at 28 C or above, so most vegetables stop. Offer two honest choices and recommend the first to most people:

1. **Rest the bed.** Clear finished crops in May or June and compost them. Solarise: wet the soil, cover with clear 1 mil polythene, leave 4-6 weeks in the hottest weather, weigh the edges down against wind, and take the plastic off before week seven (it cuts weed seed and some soil diseases). If not solarising, mulch bare soil. Late August: flush salts with a long, deep irrigation, then fork in compost; in September top up the compost so the bed is ready for October.
2. **Keep a few going.** Okra is the real summer crop. Curry leaf and lemongrass keep growing (give curry leaf light shade in the worst heat). Some hot chillies survive but flowers drop and fruiting stalls from June to September. Add 30-50% shade cloth, mulch, and move pots into afternoon shade. Water before 8am, deeply.

## Answer format

```
Start in October: the average high drops under 36 C, which is the signal to plant out.
For a balcony with morning sun, I would grow:

| Crop | Sow or plant | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Mint](https://plantguide.ae/plants/mint) | plant Sep-Nov | Nov-Apr | Ease 4/5; tolerates part shade |
| ... | | | |

Setup: three large light-coloured pots, potting mix with compost, check daily, water when the top 2-3 cm is dry.
Summer: mint and basil struggle from June; move pots to afternoon shade or let them rest.
Sources: [Kitchen garden in Dubai](https://plantguide.ae/kitchen-garden), [What to plant in October](https://plantguide.ae/what-to-plant/october)
```

- Link every crop to its profile (the `url` in tool results) and the guide for the setup advice.
- Give the month to start and the month to expect the first harvest.
- Always include the summer plan and the TSE warning when beds or fruit are involved.
- End with "Sources".

## When the person wants help

Only if they ask for someone to build or set it up, call `get_contact_link` (for example `topic: "kitchen-garden"`, `plants`: the crops, `note`: space and month) and share the WhatsApp link; the message is pre-filled and nothing is sent until they press send. `build_designer_link` with the crop slugs opens the free garden designer with the plant list ready if they want to sketch the layout. Do not offer either unless they ask.