When to Cut Spinach in Utah, and How Long It Really Keeps
In Utah, spinach gets cut in two short windows: spring, from seed sown a few weeks before the last frost, and autumn, from seed sown once the soil cools.
Utah
What home and garden advice looks like when it is written for Utah — west seasons, west rules, and the numbers that go with them.
Gardening in Utah
Everything we have worked out for Utah: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Salt Lake City, the last spring freeze runs April 12 to April 29 and the first fall freeze runs October 18 to October 29, USDA zones 4a-9a, 3,551 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Utah: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in Utah, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That’s an object you can hold up to the bed, not a date on the calendar.
What Eats Spinach in Utah, and When
Two things eat into a Utah spinach season: long days and heat. At Salt Lake City the longest day carries 14 h 56 of daylight, and the valley logs 52.1…
What Eats Pumpkin in Utah, and When
Frost eats more Utah pumpkins than any insect, and it does it by arithmetic. A fruit needs 45 to 55 days after its flower opens, and a flower that opens…
When to Plant Grass Seed in Utah
For a cool-season lawn in the Salt Lake valley, early September is the target. Spring works if soil has reached 50 to 65 °F.
When to Dethatch a Lawn in Utah
Most Utah lawns never need dethatching. Cut a wedge of turf and measure the brown, spongy layer: under 0.5 inch, leave it alone, and consider acting only…
How High to Mow a Lawn in Utah
Utah lawns get mowed at the height that fits the grass, and the spread is wide.
Heat Pump or Gas Furnace in Utah: Which Costs Less to Run?
In Utah, a natural gas furnace costs less to run than a heat pump at the average prices in federal data.
When to Dig Up Dahlias, Cannas and Gladiolus in Utah
Lift dahlias, cannas and gladiolus in Utah after the first fall frost has blackened the foliage, and do it within about a week or two.
How Late Can You Plant Trees and Shrubs in Fall in Utah?
Aim to have trees and shrubs in the ground between September 6 and September 17, six weeks before the first fall frost in Salt Lake City, which NOAA’s…