Place guide
Planting zones in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
This metro spans USDA zones 6a to 7b, so there is no single zone for Salt Lake City-Murray, UT and anyone who gives you one is rounding. 56% of its ZIP codes are zone 7b; the rest are not.
Your ZIP code
Get the exact answer for your address
Everything above describes Salt Lake City-Murray, UT as a whole. Hardiness zones and freeze dates are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact — enter it and this page will tell you your zone, which NOAA station it comes from and how far away that station is.
The growing season in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT is closing
Nothing in the 32-crop table still has time to mature here. The first fall freeze normally arrives September 8 – November 8 across the 16 NOAA stations serving this metro area .
Your next season already has a date
The first job of it is 🧅 Green Onions, start indoors, around February 3 – April 19 — counted back from a last spring freeze of March 31 – June 14 here.
These are ranges across the whole metro area. The ZIP lookup above gives the dates from your own nearest station instead.
All 16 stations agreeAt least one station
Every one of the 16 NOAA stations serving this metro area counts June 14 – September 8 as growing season (86 days). Widening to any single station gives March 31 – November 8 (222 days).
That is a 136-day difference inside one metro area — which is why this page gives ranges rather than a single planting date. The ZIP lookup above resolves it to one station.
Which zone you are in depends where you are
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT covers 4 hardiness zones. A guide that gives the metro one zone has picked whichever is largest and rounded everyone else into it — which is fine for the 56% in zone 7b and wrong for the other 44%. Here is the actual split.
| Zone | ZIP codes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7b | 27 | 56% | |
| 7a | 10 | 21% | |
| 6b | 9 | 19% | |
| 6a | 2 | 4% |
Zones are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact even though the metro's is not. The hardiness tool will tell you which one you are in.
Your freeze dates
Those are the earliest and latest medians among the 16 stations serving this metro — not an average, and not one station standing in for the rest. Half of years freeze later than a station's own median.
The spread is the point. Even in a metro that is one hardiness zone throughout, its stations disagree about the last spring freeze. Hardiness zone and frost date measure different things — a zone is the average annual coldest night, a freeze date is when the season turns — and a place can be uniform in one and varied in the other. Use the tools below with your own ZIP rather than the ends of this range.
Your growing season
NOAA publishes a growing-season length for each station, and across the 16 stations serving Salt Lake City-Murray, UT it runs 86–224 days . That figure is published, not computed from the two freeze dates — subtracting one from the other gives the wrong answer wherever a season crosses New Year. Mean summer high (June–August) runs 70–91 °F , at or above the 90 °F point where cool-season crops bolt and tomato and pepper pollen fails — so midsummer sowings of lettuce and its relatives are worth holding here. Summer rain over the same months runs 0.7–5.5" across those 14 stations, against the rough inch a week — about 13 inches over the same 92 days — that a vegetable garden is usually reckoned to want. The middle station covers about 19% of it, so a summer garden here is watered rather than rained on. The inches are NOAA's published normals; the inch a week is a rule of thumb, and it takes no account of a 88 °F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.
When to start seeds in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
Every spring job for 63 crop dates, counted from this metro's own last spring freeze. Each is a range across all 16 stations — the earliest and latest that job falls anywhere in the metro — because no one station speaks for the whole area.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Onions | Start indoors | February 3 – April 19 | 8 weeks before |
| Peppers | Start indoors | February 3 – April 19 | 8 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Start indoors | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Start indoors | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Collards | Start indoors | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Kale | Start indoors | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Peas | Direct sow | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Spinach | Direct sow | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Sweet Potato | Start indoors | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Tomatoes | Start indoors | February 17 – May 3 | 6 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Start indoors | February 24 – May 10 | 5 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Start indoors | February 24 – May 10 | 5 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Start indoors | February 24 – May 10 | 5 weeks before |
| Arugula | Direct sow | March 3 – May 17 | 4 weeks before |
| Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | March 3 – May 17 | 4 weeks before |
| Beets | Direct sow | March 3 – May 17 | 4 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Direct sow | March 3 – May 17 | 4 weeks before |
| Mustard Greens | Direct sow | March 3 – May 17 | 4 weeks before |
| Okra | Start indoors | March 3 – May 17 | 4 weeks before |
| Radishes | Direct sow | March 3 – May 17 | 4 weeks before |
| Turnips | Direct sow | March 3 – May 17 | 4 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Set out | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Carrots | Direct sow | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Direct sow | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Set out | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Cucumbers | Start indoors | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Set out | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Direct sow | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Set out | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Direct sow | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Set out | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Pumpkins | Start indoors | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Summer Squash | Start indoors | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Winter Squash | Start indoors | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Zucchini | Start indoors | March 10 – May 24 | 3 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Direct sow | March 17 – May 31 | 2 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Set out | March 17 – May 31 | 2 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Set out | March 17 – May 31 | 2 weeks before |
| Cilantro | Direct sow | March 17 – May 31 | 2 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Set out | March 17 – May 31 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Direct sow | March 17 – May 31 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Set out | March 17 – May 31 | 2 weeks before |
| Dill | Direct sow | March 24 – June 7 | 1 week before |
| Bush Beans | Direct sow | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Set out | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Direct sow | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Set out | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Direct sow | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Set out | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Sweet Corn | Direct sow | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Tomatoes | Set out | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Direct sow | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Set out | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Direct sow | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Set out | April 7 – June 21 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Direct sow | April 14 – June 28 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Direct sow | April 14 – June 28 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Set out | April 14 – June 28 | 2 weeks after |
| Peppers | Set out | April 14 – June 28 | 2 weeks after |
| Southern Peas | Direct sow | April 14 – June 28 | 2 weeks after |
| Sweet Potato | Set out | April 14 – June 28 | 2 weeks after |
The week offsets are conventional extension guidance and vary by variety; the freeze dates they are counted from are measured. For a single date rather than a range, run when do I start my seeds? with your own ZIP code.
What survives the winter changes across Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
Of 74 perennial fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables and herbs, 58 come through the winter in zone 7a and only 51 in zone 6a. That is a different garden at each end of the same metro.
| Zone | ZIPs | Survive | Fail for being too warm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6a | 2 | 51 of 74 | 0 |
| 6b | 9 | 51 of 74 | 0 |
| 7a | 10 | 58 of 74 | 1 |
| 7b | 27 | 56 of 74 | 3 |
The last column is the counterintuitive one, and it is why the totals do not simply rise as the winters get milder. Most temperate fruit needs a documented number of hours below about 45 °F to break dormancy and set a crop, so an apple fails in a winter that is too warm; currants and rhubarb cook in the summer heat that comes with it. See the full list with reasons.
Cautious — shortens the seasonMedian across stationsOptimistic
- Last spring freeze
- Plan to July 1 to be careful. Median March 31 – June 14 across 16 stations; March 7 is the optimistic end.
- First fall freeze
- Plan to August 23 to be careful. Median September 8 – November 8 across 16 stations; November 25 is the optimistic end.
NOAA publishes these as probabilities, not averages — the middle figure is a median, so half of years fall either side of it. The cautious end is the 10% tail: in roughly nine years in ten the freeze falls on the safe side of it.
The 16 stations behind these numbers
All 16 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 86 km north to south. Every one is named with its identifier in the station list below — this page does not single one out, because no one station speaks for a whole metro area.
A relative sketch, not a map with a projection: longitude is adjusted for latitude so the shape is not stretched, and there is no basemap. For the one station nearest a specific address, with its real distance, use the ZIP lookup above.
Every figure above comes from these, and each is named so you can check it. Which station serves a given ZIP code, and how far away it is, varies across the metro — the table below gives it per ZIP code rather than this page averaging it.
| Station | NOAA ID | Last spring freeze | First fall freeze | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta, UT | USC00420072 | June 11 | September 18 | 98 days |
| City Creek Wtp, UT | USC00421446 | May 13 | October 7 | 146 days |
| Cottonwood Weir, UT | USC00421759 | April 29 | October 22 | 174 days |
| Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | USC00422235 | April 18 | October 22 | 185 days |
| Fairfield, UT | USC00422696 | June 2 | September 16 | 103 days |
| Garfield, UT | USC00423097 | April 3 | November 4 | 213 days |
| Grantsville 2W, UT | USC00423348 | May 2 | October 14 | 164 days |
| Ibapah, UT | USC00424174 | June 14 | September 8 | 86 days |
| Johnson Pass, UT | USC00424362 | May 15 | October 5 | 142 days |
| Mtn Dell Dam, UT | USC00425892 | May 7 | October 14 | 158 days |
| Salt Lake City E Bench, UT | USC00427655 | April 25 | October 18 | 175 days |
| Salt Lake City INTL AP, UT | USW00024127 | April 8 | October 31 | 204 days |
| Salt Lake Triad Ctr, UT | USC00427606 | March 31 | November 8 | 224 days |
| Tooele, UT | USC00428771 | May 2 | October 16 | 165 days |
| Vernon, UT | USC00429133 | June 1 | September 20 | 110 days |
| Wendover AP Awos, UT | USW00024193 | April 18 | October 23 | 188 days |
These are medians, not averages — NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
Every ZIP code in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
Zones are published per ZIP code, not per metro area, so this is the exact answer rather than the metro area's average. The station column is the nearest one to that ZIP code's centroid and how far away it is — the same figure the tools use, shown here so you can see which ZIP codes are well covered and which are reaching.
| ZIP code | USDA zone | Nearest NOAA station | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84006 | 7a | Garfield, UT | 15.5 km |
| 84009 | 7a | Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | 12.4 km |
| 84020 | 7a | Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | 3.0 km |
| 84022 | 6b | Johnson Pass, UT | 2.8 km |
| 84029 | 7a | Grantsville 2W, UT | 37.8 km |
| 84034 | 6b | Ibapah, UT | 10.6 km |
| 84044 | 7b | Garfield, UT | 6.6 km |
| 84047 | 7b | Cottonwood Weir, UT | 9.1 km |
| 84065 | 7a | Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | 3.8 km |
| 84069 | 6a | Johnson Pass, UT | 11.1 km |
| 84070 | 7b | Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | 10.0 km |
| 84071 | 6b | Fairfield, UT | 18.2 km |
| 84074 | 7a | Tooele, UT | 5.4 km |
| 84080 | 6b | Vernon, UT | 7.1 km |
| 84081 | 7b | Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | 17.3 km |
| 84083 | 6b | Wendover AP Awos, UT | 27.2 km |
| 84084 | 7b | Cottonwood Weir, UT | 15.4 km |
| 84088 | 7b | Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | 13.0 km |
| 84092 | 6b | Alta, UT | 7.9 km |
| 84093 | 7b | Cottonwood Weir, UT | 4.7 km |
| 84094 | 7b | Cottonwood Weir, UT | 8.4 km |
| 84095 | 7a | Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | 8.6 km |
| 84096 | 7a | Draper-Point Of Mtn, UT | 16.9 km |
| 84101 | 7b | Salt Lake Triad Ctr, UT | 1.6 km |
| 84102 | 7b | Salt Lake Triad Ctr, UT | 3.0 km |
| 84103 | 6b | City Creek Wtp, UT | 1.8 km |
| 84104 | 7b | Salt Lake City INTL AP, UT | 3.3 km |
| 84105 | 7b | Salt Lake City E Bench, UT | 3.6 km |
| 84106 | 7b | Salt Lake City E Bench, UT | 4.6 km |
| 84107 | 7b | Cottonwood Weir, UT | 9.6 km |
| 84108 | 6b | Mtn Dell Dam, UT | 6.7 km |
| 84109 | 6b | Mtn Dell Dam, UT | 5.0 km |
| 84111 | 7b | Salt Lake Triad Ctr, UT | 2.0 km |
| 84112 | 7a | Salt Lake City E Bench, UT | 3.8 km |
| 84113 | 7a | Salt Lake City E Bench, UT | 3.2 km |
| 84114 | 7b | Salt Lake Triad Ctr, UT | 1.0 km |
| 84115 | 7b | Salt Lake Triad Ctr, UT | 6.2 km |
| 84116 | 7b | Salt Lake City INTL AP, UT | 11.0 km |
| 84117 | 7b | Cottonwood Weir, UT | 6.5 km |
| 84118 | 7b | Salt Lake City INTL AP, UT | 14.8 km |
| 84119 | 7b | Salt Lake City INTL AP, UT | 8.9 km |
| 84120 | 7b | Salt Lake City INTL AP, UT | 9.4 km |
| 84121 | 6a | Alta, UT | 5.1 km |
| 84123 | 7b | Salt Lake City E Bench, UT | 12.4 km |
| 84124 | 7b | Cottonwood Weir, UT | 6.6 km |
| 84128 | 7b | Salt Lake City INTL AP, UT | 10.2 km |
| 84129 | 7b | Salt Lake City INTL AP, UT | 13.9 km |
| 84180 | 7b | Salt Lake Triad Ctr, UT | 0.4 km |
ZIP-code positions are area centroids, so a large rural ZIP code's listed distance is measured from the middle of its area rather than from any particular address in it.
Your own ZIP
Work out your own dates
Each of these takes a ZIP code and answers for that ZIP alone, citing the station it used and how far away it is. There is a ZIP box in the header of every page.
-
What survives my winter?
Runs on the hardiness zone, so it answers for all of Salt Lake City-Murray, UT at once — zone across 74 perennial fruits, berries, vegetables and herbs.
- When do I start my seeds?
Dates every spring job from your own last freeze — sow indoors, set out, direct sow.
- When do I sow the next round?
How often each crop is worth re-sowing, and when the next sowing is due.
- What can I still plant?
Counts the growing days left before your first fall freeze, crop by crop.
Other places to compare
These metros span exactly the same zones — 6a–7b — so the same plants are in and out of range across them. The freeze dates and the spring calendar are their own.
Gardening in Utah — zones 4a– 8b covers the whole state: how its 295 ZIP codes divide between 9 hardiness zones, and the freeze dates across every NOAA station in it.
Other metro areas in UT:
- Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT Zones 6a–7a
- Logan, UT-ID Zones 5b–6b
- Ogden, UT Zones 6a–7b
- St. George, UT Zones 6b–8b
Gear
If you want to act on this
Each link opens an Amazon search rather than a product we picked. We have not tested these and do not rank them — the search is the honest version, and you choose.
- Trunk wrapZone 6a is cold enough that winter sun on a young trunk does more damage than the cold does.
- Row cover and frost clothThe season here closes at the first fall freeze dated above — a cover buys back some of those days at the end.
- MulchFor the perennials nearest their cold limit in zone 6a, where an insulated crown is what decides whether they come back.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. That costs you nothing extra, and it buys no influence over anything on this site: the dates come from NOAA normals and the zones from the USDA, and no product affects either.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
The hardiness zone is the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. The freeze dates are NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals, read from every station whose normals cover a ZIP code in this metro. Nothing here is estimated, and no station stands in for another.
This page names no single station on purpose. Picking one to represent a metro sounds reasonable and is not: the station serving the most ZIP codes is an artifact of where ZIP centroids happen to fall, and it selects a lock on the Monongahela for Pittsburgh and a far southern suburb for Chicago. A range across every station is true; a single cited date for a whole metro is not.