I knew almost nothing about how to grow dates before I visited Jacq Davis at Epic Yard Farm in Tempe. Date palms were street or farm trees to me. Pretty, but not something I thought of as a backyard fruit crop.
Then Jacq showed me her Black Sphinx date palm, loaded with close to 100 pounds of developing fruit, and walked me through hand pollination, harvest, and everything in between. By the end of the visit, I understood why she calls this palm her pride and joy. This guide shares what she taught me about growing dates during the tour, plus answers to the follow-up questions I sent her afterward…