Growing Sweet Corn in Utah: Will It Ripen?
In most of Utah’s valley towns, sweet corn ripens just fine, but only if the calendar is read correctly.
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.
Growing Asparagus in Utah: Fifteen Years in One Spot
Asparagus is the one vegetable in a Utah garden that stays put for a decade or more, so the spot matters more than the seed packet.
When Does the Heating Season Start in Utah?
Heating demand in Utah’s most populated corridor starts in October, when the average monthly temperature first drops below the 65°F threshold used to…
When to Sow Pumpkins in Utah
Utah’s first fall frost falls somewhere between October 18 and October 29, and a pumpkin needs 45 to 55 days after its flower opens (not from the day the…
Will Pumpkins Ripen Before Frost in Utah?
In the Salt Lake Valley, most pumpkins can ripen before frost, but only if the flower that made the fruit opened by late August or, at the very latest…
Growing Parsnips in Utah: Will They Sweeten?
In the Salt Lake Valley, the numbers say yes: parsnips left in the ground here get enough cold to sweeten, not just to grow.
Growing Spinach in Utah: When Will It Bolt?
Salt Lake City’s summer sun stretches to 14 hours and 56 minutes on the longest day of the year, and that long light alone is enough to send spinach into…
Growing Pumpkins in Utah: Will They Ripen in Time?
Utah pumpkins can ripen on time, but the margin is thin. Between the state’s short growing season and its unpredictable fall freeze, a flower that opens…
When to Sow Carrots in Utah: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Utah gardeners can’t rely on one statewide sowing date because frost timing swings wildly with elevation, from valley floors that clear by mid-spring to…
Will Carrots Fork in Utah Soil?
Probably not, and that’s the surprise. The soil USDA lists as representative of Utah is sandy and well drained, the opposite of the dense, rocky ground…