# Grow your own in Dubai (kitchen garden in Dubai) Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/kitchen-garden · Updated: 2026-10-05 Source: Ghaf Gardens (https://plantguide.ae/kitchen-garden) Sow in October, pick tomatoes by January, and know what to do when the heat comes back. - **Sep–Feb** — Sowing window for most crops - **1.2 m** — Widest bed you can reach across - **30–45 cm** — Soil depth, from salad to tomatoes - **Before 8 am** — When to water, per DEWA ## Why grow food in Dubai In October 2024 the UAE launched Plant the Emirates, a national programme that encourages residents to grow food at home. The ministry's own shortlist for home gardens includes [lemon](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lemon-tree.md), [Mango](https://plantguide.ae/plants/mango.md), [Guava](https://plantguide.ae/plants/guava.md), [Fig](https://plantguide.ae/plants/fig.md), [Okra](https://plantguide.ae/plants/okra.md), [Lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md), [Basil](https://plantguide.ae/plants/basil.md), [Mint](https://plantguide.ae/plants/mint.md) and [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md), all of which have a page here, plus radish, rocket, beans, green onion, parsley and thyme. Dubai's gardening year is back to front compared with Europe's. The cool months, roughly October to March, are for growing. June to September is for survival. Plan a kitchen garden around that rhythm and it works. ## Sowing and harvest calendar Every bar is built from the plant's own page. Blue is when to sow or plant, gold is when you pick. This month is highlighted. Tap a row for the full plant guide. Timings are for Dubai. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment publishes its own planting calendar, and ours follows the same shape: nursery sowing from August to November, planting out from September, harvest through spring. Okra, sown in spring, is the big exception. - [Cherry tomato](https://plantguide.ae/plants/cherry-tomato.md) (vegetables): sow or plant Sep–Dec · harvest Jan–Apr - [Lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md) (vegetables): sow or plant Oct–Feb · harvest Dec–Apr - [Aubergine](https://plantguide.ae/plants/aubergine.md) (vegetables): sow or plant Feb–Mar, Aug–Nov · harvest Dec–May - [Chilli](https://plantguide.ae/plants/chilli.md) (vegetables): sow or plant Feb–Apr, Aug–Nov · harvest Dec–May - [Cucumber](https://plantguide.ae/plants/cucumber.md) (vegetables): sow or plant Feb–Apr, Aug–Oct · harvest Apr–Jun, Oct–Dec - [Okra](https://plantguide.ae/plants/okra.md) (vegetables): sow or plant Feb–May · harvest May–Nov - [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md) (herbs): sow or plant Oct–Feb · harvest Nov–May - [Basil](https://plantguide.ae/plants/basil.md) (herbs): sow or plant Sep–Nov · harvest Nov–May - [Mint](https://plantguide.ae/plants/mint.md) (herbs): sow or plant Sep–Nov · harvest Nov–Apr - [Rosemary](https://plantguide.ae/plants/rosemary.md) (herbs): sow or plant Oct–Nov — Evergreen: pick sprigs once established - [Curry leaf](https://plantguide.ae/plants/curry-leaf.md) (herbs): sow or plant Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · harvest all year - [Lemongrass](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lemongrass.md) (herbs): sow or plant Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · harvest Apr–Nov ## Pick your setup ### Villa raised beds The classic: a pair of beds beside the terrace or along a sunny wall. - **Size:** One or two beds, 1.2 m wide and 2.4 m long, with a path between them wide enough for a wheelbarrow. - **Sun:** Full sun from October to March. Be ready to add shade cloth from April. - **Soil:** 30 to 45 cm of sweet soil blended with compost, never the garden's sand on its own. - **Water:** A drip line on a timer, finishing before 8 am. [Vegetables to grow](https://plantguide.ae/plants/category/vegetable.md) ### Balcony and pots Herbs, chillies and a tomato or two, in pots you can move with the sun. - **Size:** Fewer, bigger pots: more soil holds moisture and keeps roots cooler. Choose light colours, because dark plastic overheats. - **Sun:** Morning sun and afternoon shade. Mint, coriander and basil all tolerate part shade. - **Soil:** A potting mix with compost, not soil dug from the garden. - **Water:** Check daily and water when the top 2 to 3 cm is dry. Pots dry out far faster than beds. [Herbs to grow](https://plantguide.ae/plants/category/herb.md) ### Fruit-tree corner A sunny corner for lemon, fig or pomegranate. Plant early: young trees take a few years to crop fully. - **Size:** Check mature size before you buy. A lemon tree reaches 2 to 4.5 m, a pomegranate 2 to 6 m. - **Sun:** Full sun, with shelter from summer wind for figs and papaya. - **Soil:** A wide, shallow planting basin, and mulch kept clear of the trunk. - **Water:** A watering basin and deep soakings. Shade young trees through their first summer. [Fruit trees to grow](https://plantguide.ae/plants/category/fruit-tree.md) ## Build a raised bed, step by step Build it in September and it is ready for the first October sowing. Seven decisions, in the order you make them. 1. **Site it for sun and shelter.** Pick a spot with full sun through winter, out of the wind, near a tap and somewhere you walk past every day. Run long beds north to south so tall crops do not shade short ones. (N–S: long side) 2. **Size it to your reach.** Make it 1.2 m wide, so you can reach the middle from both sides without stepping in and compacting the soil. Any length works; 2.4 m suits standard timber. Thirty centimetres of soil is enough for salad and herbs. Go to 45 cm for the rest. (1.2 m: wide) 3. **Choose the walls.** Timber, either hardwood or pressure-treated softwood, is the easy choice and lasts for years. Blockwork or engineering brick is permanent. Steel, corten included, heats up in full summer sun and warms the soil at its edges, so line the inside face or plan to shade it. Avoid creosoted sleepers. (Timber: easiest start) 4. **Fill with sweet soil and compost.** Dubai's native ground is sand, which holds little water and few nutrients. Fill the bed with screened, low-salinity [sweet soil](https://plantguide.ae/build/sweet-soil) and blend in compost or well-rotted manure from the [soil improvement](https://plantguide.ae/build/soil-improvement) range. As a starting mix, aim for about a quarter compost by volume. Water it in and let it settle before you plant. (¼: compost) 5. **Lay a drip line and a timer.** Run a drip line across the bed and put it on a timer set to finish before 8 am. Drip puts the water at the roots and wastes little; a [smart controller](https://plantguide.ae/build/irrigation) trims the run times as the season changes. Use mains water: treated sewage effluent (TSE) is not allowed on vegetables and fruit that people eat. (8 am: water by) 6. **Plan the shade now.** Fix a frame over the bed while you build, even though you will not need it until April. Shade cloth of 30 to 50 percent suits most vegetables. Put it on in April, when the average high reaches about 34°C, and leave it up until the heat breaks. (30–50%: shade cloth) 7. **Plant, mulch and keep sowing.** Plant seedlings from October, or sow direct. Mulch with organic matter to hold moisture and keep the soil cool; skip black plastic. Sow lettuce and coriander a short row at a time, every two weeks, so the harvest never arrives all at once. Move tomato, aubergine and chilli, which are all nightshades, to a different bed each year. (2 weeks: between sowings) ## What to grow Every plant is rated for Dubai heat, salt and drought, with its own sowing and harvest months. ### Vegetables Sow from September. Most finish by May. Okra carries on through the summer. [Cherry tomato](https://plantguide.ae/plants/cherry-tomato.md) · [Lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md) · [Chilli](https://plantguide.ae/plants/chilli.md) · [Aubergine](https://plantguide.ae/plants/aubergine.md) · [Cucumber](https://plantguide.ae/plants/cucumber.md) · [Okra](https://plantguide.ae/plants/okra.md) [Open these in the garden designer](https://plantguide.ae/design?add=cherry-tomato,lettuce,chilli,aubergine,cucumber,okra) ### Herbs The easiest way in. Most like a little afternoon shade, and basil and coriander give up in peak heat. [Basil](https://plantguide.ae/plants/basil.md) · [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md) · [Mint](https://plantguide.ae/plants/mint.md) · [Rosemary](https://plantguide.ae/plants/rosemary.md) · [Curry leaf](https://plantguide.ae/plants/curry-leaf.md) · [Lemongrass](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lemongrass.md) [Open these in the garden designer](https://plantguide.ae/design?add=basil,coriander,mint,rosemary,curry-leaf,lemongrass) ### Fruit trees Plant from October to March, shade them through their first summer, and give them time. [Lemon tree](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lemon-tree.md) · [Fig](https://plantguide.ae/plants/fig.md) · [Pomegranate](https://plantguide.ae/plants/pomegranate.md) · [Guava](https://plantguide.ae/plants/guava.md) · [Mulberry](https://plantguide.ae/plants/mulberry.md) · [Mango](https://plantguide.ae/plants/mango.md) · [Papaya](https://plantguide.ae/plants/papaya.md) · [Moringa](https://plantguide.ae/plants/moringa.md) [Open these in the garden designer](https://plantguide.ae/design?add=lemon-tree,fig,pomegranate,guava,mulberry,mango,papaya,moringa) ## Summer From June to September the average high sits close to 40°C or above and nights stay at 28°C or more. Most vegetables stop. You have two honest choices, and resting the bed is the one most gardeners should make. **Rest the bed.** Best for most gardens. A rested, solarised bed is the best start for October. - Clear the finished crops in May or June and compost them. - Solarise: wet the soil, cover it with clear 1 mil polythene and leave it for 4 to 6 weeks in the hottest weather. It cuts weed seed and some soil diseases. Weigh the edges down against wind and take the plastic off before week seven. - If you are not solarising, mulch any bare soil to keep it cooler. - In September, top up the bed with compost so it is ready for the first sowing. **Keep a few going.** For the plants that like it hot. - [Okra](https://plantguide.ae/plants/okra.md) is the real summer crop. Sown from spring, it fruits through the heat if you water deeply and mulch. - [Curry leaf](https://plantguide.ae/plants/curry-leaf.md) and [lemongrass](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lemongrass.md) keep growing. Give curry leaf light shade in the worst of the heat. - Some hot [chillies](https://plantguide.ae/plants/chilli.md) survive, but flowers drop and fruiting stalls from June to September. - Fit 30 to 50 percent shade cloth, mulch the soil and move pots to afternoon shade. **The early-morning rule.** Water in the early morning, when there is less evaporation and the plants can use the water all day. DEWA's cut-off is 8 am; finish earlier where you can. Water deeply and less often, then let the surface dry before you water again. ## Common mistakes - **Planting out too early.** September can feel like autumn, but the average high is still 39.5°C. Seedlings put out in it scorch and stall. _Fix:_ Start seed in shaded trays in September and plant out from October, when the average high drops below 36°C. - **Using the sand as it comes.** Native ground holds little water and few nutrients, so plants thirst and starve at the same time. _Fix:_ Fill beds with sweet soil and compost, and top up with compost every season. - **Watering at the wrong time.** Afternoon water evaporates before the roots can use it, and a splash every day keeps roots shallow. _Fix:_ Water before 8 am, deeply and less often, through a drip line on a timer. - **Irrigating food with TSE.** Treated sewage effluent is widely used for landscape irrigation, but UAE rules prohibit treated wastewater on vegetables and fruit that people eat. _Fix:_ Ask which supply feeds your garden lines, and give edible beds mains water. - **Growing tomatoes in the same bed every year.** Soil pests and diseases attack the same plant family over and over. Tomato, aubergine and chilli all belong to one. _Fix:_ Rotate families between beds, or rest and solarise the bed over summer. - **Leaving the shade until it is too late.** By May the average high is 38°C. Lettuce bolts, coriander runs to seed and fruit scalds. _Fix:_ Fit 30 to 50 percent shade cloth in March or April, before the heat arrives. ## FAQ **When can I start a vegetable garden in Dubai?** Prepare the bed in September, start seedlings in shaded trays, and sow or plant out from October, when the average daytime high drops below 36°C. Lettuce and coriander can be sown until February. Tomatoes are best started by December, and the main crops of aubergine and chilli by October. Okra is the exception: it is sown in spring. **Can I grow vegetables in summer in Dubai?** A few, yes; most, no. From June to September the average high sits close to 40°C or above and nights stay at 28°C or more, so tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers stop. [Okra](https://plantguide.ae/plants/okra.md), [curry leaf](https://plantguide.ae/plants/curry-leaf.md) and [lemongrass](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lemongrass.md) keep going, and some hot chillies survive, though flowers drop. Shade cloth, mulch and early-morning watering help. Most gardeners rest the bed and solarise it instead. **What soil should I use for a raised bed in the UAE?** Not the ground's sand on its own, which holds little water and few nutrients. Fill the bed with screened, low-salinity [sweet soil](https://plantguide.ae/build/sweet-soil) and blend in compost or well-rotted manure, roughly a quarter by volume to start with. Ask your supplier for the soil's salinity (EC) reading, and top up with compost each season. **How much water does a vegetable bed need?** There is no single number: it depends on the crop, the month and the soil. As a planning figure, our designer assumes about 2 litres per square metre per day in winter and 4 in summer for drip-fed beds. Push a finger into the soil and water when the top few centimetres are dry. Water in the early morning, deeply and less often, from a drip line on a timer, and use mains water rather than treated effluent. **Which vegetables are easiest for a first-time grower?** Start with herbs and lettuce, which can be picked within two months of sowing in cool weather. [Cherry tomatoes](https://plantguide.ae/plants/cherry-tomato.md) are the classic first crop and give picking from January. [Okra](https://plantguide.ae/plants/okra.md), [mint](https://plantguide.ae/plants/mint.md) and [rosemary](https://plantguide.ae/plants/rosemary.md) have the highest ease-of-care rating among our vegetables and herbs, 4 out of 5. **Do I need a raised bed, or can I plant in the ground?** In Dubai a raised bed is the easier route: you control the soil from day one, drainage is good and nobody walks on the planting area. Planting in the ground works too, but you have to dig out the sand and blend sweet soil and compost in deep enough for the roots. ## Sources - [WAM: Mohammed bin Rashid launches the 'Plant the Emirates' programme](https://www.wam.ae/en/article/145kigo-mohammed-bin-rashid-chairs-uae-cabinet-meeting) - [Khaleej Times: UAE to help residents grow their own fruits and vegetables](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/environment/uae-to-help-residents-grow-their-own-fruits-vegetables-in-home-gardens) - [MOCCAE: Dates for planting vegetables and fruits in the UAE](https://moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/56f7a89b/agriculture_calender_page_en.pdf.aspx) - [UAE Legislation: Cabinet Resolution 39 of 2021, Annex 1, treated wastewater standards](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1490/regulations/757/download) - [DEWA: Irrigation advice](https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/consumer/sustainability/sustainability-and-conservation/irrigation) - [RHS: Raised beds](https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-features/raised-beds) - [RHS: Watering plants wisely](https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-jobs/watering) - [RHS: Crop rotation](https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/crop-rotation) - [Mississippi State University Extension: Constructing raised beds](https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/constructing-raised-beds-for-the-mississippi-gardener) - [Penn State Extension: Heat-proofing your vegetable garden](https://extension.psu.edu/heat-proofing-your-vegetable-garden) - [UC IPM: Soil solarization](https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/soilsolarization.html) - [Rutgers: High temperatures and tomato fruit set](https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/high-temperatures-and-effect-on-tomato-pollination-and-fruit-set/) - [FAO: Sandy soils](https://www.fao.org/soils-portal/soil-management/management-of-some-problem-soils/sandy-soils/en) - [The National: UAE gardening guide, what to plant and when](https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/home-garden/2024/05/05/gardening-uae-summer-plants/) - [Wikipedia: Climate of Dubai (1991 to 2020 normals)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Dubai)