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Throwing Shade
Throwing Shade is a series of conversations from The Show about why shade is such a precious resource here in the Valley and why it’s so hard to create it.

Shade is the key to growing veggies, fruits and flowers — even in 110-plus degree heat

KJZZ | By Lauren Gilger
Published July 30, 2025 at 11:43 AM MST
Melissa Kruse-Peeples
Lauren Gilger/KJZZ
Melissa Kruse-Peeples

It’s hot out there. Really hot. It’s that time of the summer when the sun feels like it’s burning everything it touches — including your plants.

But Melissa Kruse-Peeples is a master of shade, which can make it possible to grow veggies, fruits and flowers — even in 110-plus degree heat.

Kruse-Peeples is our favorite master gardener, and she joined The Show to give us all some much needed advice in our latest edition of our summer series Throwing Shade.

Peppers grow in Melissa Kruse-Peeples' garden in Phoenix.
Lauren Gilger/KJZZ
Peppers grow in Melissa Kruse-Peeples' garden in Phoenix.
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The Show HeatWeatherEnvironmentFood + Restaurants
Lauren Gilger
Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.
See stories by Lauren Gilger
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