Martha's Gardens Date Farm: Yuma AZ Guide

If you ask a Yuma old timer where to get a real date shake, they will point you to Martha's Gardens Medjool Date Farm in Yuma AZ without thinking twice. This working family farm sits at 9747 S Avenue 9 3/4 E on the Yuma Mesa, surrounded by rows of tall palms and open desert views. It is part farm tour, part cafe stop, and part history lesson, and it is one of the easiest ways to show visiting family what Yuma agriculture actually looks like up close.

What is Martha's Gardens, and who started it?

Martha's Gardens was founded in 1990 by Nels and Martha Rogers, who started with about 300 Medjool date palms. The farm has grown to roughly 130 to 140 acres with more than 8,000 palms, and the family still grows, packs, and sells its own dates right on site. That matters for visitors. You are not walking through a gift shop that imports its fruit. You are standing in the grove where the dates in the box were picked, sorted, and packed a short walk away.

What happens on the Martha's Gardens farm tour?

The guided tour runs about 60 to 90 minutes on a covered, open air tram, and guides walk you through how dates are grown from pollination to harvest. Date farming is hands on work. Crews visit each palm many times a season to hand pollinate, thin the fruit, and remove thorns so harvest is safer. Tours run in the cooler season, roughly October through May, and they can end early in a hot spring, so call ahead and ask about reservations and group minimums before you drive out. If you miss the tour, a short video in the cafe covers the same process while you eat.

What should you order at the cafe?

Start with the date shake. It is rich, cold, and made with the farm's own Medjools, and it is the item people talk about on the drive home. The shop sells fresh dates by the box, date rolls, and other packaged goods, which makes this a practical stop for winter visitors stocking a pantry or locals sending a Yuma gift to family back home. Recent listings show weekday hours, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm, with the farm closed on weekends, so check the current schedule before a Saturday plan falls apart.

Is Martha's Gardens good for kids and visiting family?

Yes, and that is a big part of its appeal. Kids get to ride the tram, see palms taller than houses, and learn where food comes from without a classroom lecture. Grandparents and winter visitors like that the pace is easy and the story is local. For military families new to MCAS Yuma, it is also a perfect first month outing. You get desert, agriculture, and a sense of place in one morning, and you are back in town in time for lunch. Families PCSing in during winter hear a lot about the base and the river. This is the other half of Yuma life, the fields that feed a lot of the country all winter.

How do you plan a visit from your Yuma neighborhood?

The farm is an easy drive from most of Yuma, including the Foothills, Mesa Del Sol, and neighborhoods near MCAS Yuma. Go on a weekday morning in season, wear a hat, bring water even in November, and give yourself time to linger in the shop after the tour. If you are house hunting, a morning out here is a good reminder of why people choose Yuma in the first place: sunshine in winter, working land, and small family places that have been here for decades.

Thinking about putting down roots near the farms and neighborhoods you are exploring? Book a complimentary consultation and I will walk you through homes that fit your life in Yuma, from the Foothills to the Mesa and beyond.