Utah Hardiness Zones: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a
Utah is a tourist destination known for snowy mountains and skiing. Many people don’t know that while Utah is a mountain state, it has a wide variety of climates and growing zones, including semi-arid, desert areas.
Utah winters are fairly mild, with the average temperature being just below freezing. Areas around Salt Lake City will get around 60 inches of snow each winter. Summer in Utah is hot, reaching triple-digit temperatures. However, the weather is not as humid as in other areas of the country, making the high temperatures much more bearable.
Hardiness zones are based around frost dates. Northeastern Utah is the coldest region of the state with the latest spring and earliest fall frosts. Other areas of Utah in high elevations have similar hardiness zones. The further south in the state, in general, the longer the growing season.
Utah Planting Zone: A Quick Overview
- Higher altitude regions of Utah have shorter growing seasons.
- Northeastern Utah is the coldest region, with high altitude areas getting down to hardiness zone 4, surrounded by pockets of USDA zone 5.
- Southern Utah and the areas around St George are the warmest areas of the state encompassing growing zones 8a, 8b and 9a.
- Much of the rest of the state is in zone 6a to 7a, with Salt Lake City falling in zone 7b.
- Warmer regions surrounding the Colorado river fall into planting zones 8a and 8b.
Using the Utah Growing Zones Map
Above you will find a map of the Utah hardiness zones based on the 2012 USDA map data. This map is a guideline for farmers and gardeners to use to know what plants will thrive in the growing time.
To find your hardiness zone, you begin by finding your location on the map. You can also look it up by zip code. Once you find your location, you compare the color on the map with the legend. The legend will tell you what growing zone you live in and what the lowest temperature is in that region.
It is important to remember the hardiness zone is just a guideline. This will help you to figure out which plants can and cannot grow in your area.
Explore Our Complete US Hardiness Zone Map
You can’t grow tropical plants in a cold state, for example. However, there are many other factors to take into consideration when you’re growing a garden. Considering the sunlight in your yard, the average precipitation in your region and the quality of your soil will benefit your garden.
Utah: A Variety of Climates and a Variety of Growing Zones
Utah is a state with a wide variety of growing zones. All of these zones can grow a successful garden when the needs of the zone are taken into consideration.
If you live high in the mountains and have a shorter growing season, you can combat this by starting plants indoors in the spring.
Grow vegetables from seed indoors and move them outside after the last frost of the spring, in early to mid-April. Another way you can combat a short growing season is to grow your garden in containers. This is because the soil will be warmer and you will not have to wait for the ground to thaw.
According to Joe’s Greenhouse, you can successfully grow a wide variety of vegetables in your garden. Cucumber, eggplant, onions and squash can grow well in Utah. Tomatoes grow well in this climate, but in zone 4 and 5 you may wish to start your tomatoes indoors.
Make sure that you check with your local nursery to see what is the right fit for your region. In a longer growing season there will be a larger selection of plants that will thrive, but for a shorter season, choose plants that mature quickly.
