Yes, it's still warm enough to garden in Utah
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A baby ice plant settles into my garden in November. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios
Now's not a time when most Utahns have gardening on the brain — which is a big shame.
Why it matters: "If I were to rank the priority of planting times, fall would be number one, and spring would probably be second-best," said Courtney Brown, a manager at the Conservation Garden Park in West Jordan.
How it works: "The soil is still warm enough that the roots are going to grow," Brown told Axios.
- Plants also tend to experience less transplant stress when dormant.
The big picture: Climate change is making fall gardening an even better option than spring.
- "We get more rain and cooler temperatures, so the plants aren't stressed as they're trying to get established," Brown said. By contrast, a couple of warm, dry days in May can lay waste to new plants if you aren't watering meticulously.
- As winters get warmer, the ground is freezing later, giving fall plantings longer to put down roots even if it's chilly at the surface.
Yes, but: Even a freeze doesn't bother dormant plants as long as they're hardy enough for Salt Lake — plants marked for USDA zones 6 or 7.
Case in point: Brown said he once successfully planted a bare-root apricot sapling on Thanksgiving.
- "I had to get a pick and chip through the first two inches of soil just to plant it, and fill it in with whatever ice chunks of ground that I could. Then it just kind of just grew from there."
The payoff: Since your fall plants have all winter and early spring to get established, you can enjoy them next year — and focus your time and attention on your annuals and veggies.
My thought bubble: It was an absolute game-changer when, a decade or so ago, I learned I could easily keep planting into winter.
- Not having to obsess over watering and heat stress — the plants' or my own! — more than doubled the ground I could cover in a year.
Between the lines: Nurseries have a much better selection in spring, but you'll find more discounts in fall.
What we're watching: As Utah gets warmer, nurseries may have to follow us gardeners later into the fall.
- In Arizona and southern Nevada, inventories stay more robust year-round.
- "If we're headed that way, then I think at some point nurseries will stay open year-round," Brown said. "And the whole plant palette would change."