When to plant · 24 cities · zones 6a–8b
When to plant tomatillos in Utah
Start Tomatillo seeds indoors around Mar 24 and transplant around May 12 — the Utah statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of May 5 across 295 ZIP codes and 136 NOAA stations.
The rule: Six weeks indoors, transplant after the last frost, and give each plant 30 inches and a large cage.
Utah tomatillos, by step
Statewide median last frost May 5, first fall frost Oct 10, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.
| Cultivar | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TomatilloToma Verde | Mar 24 | May 12 | Jul 21 | 70 from transplant |
Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station Utah's ZIP codes resolve to; 3 of 298 ZIPs have no datable freeze and are left out.
Tomatillos in Utah, city by city
Tomatillo, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.
| City | Last frost | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake Cityzone 7b | Mar 31 | Feb 17 | Apr 7 | Jun 16 |
| West Valley Cityzone 7b | Apr 8 | Feb 25 | Apr 15 | Jun 24 |
| West Jordanzone 7b | Apr 18 | Mar 7 | Apr 25 | Jul 4 |
| Provozone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 7 | Apr 25 | Jul 4 |
| St. Georgezone 8b | Mar 14 | Jan 31 | Mar 21 | May 30 |
| Oremzone 7a | Apr 19 | Mar 8 | Apr 26 | Jul 5 |
| Lehizone 7a | Apr 30 | Mar 19 | May 7 | Jul 16 |
| Sandyzone 7b | Apr 29 | Mar 18 | May 6 | Jul 15 |
| Ogdenzone 6b | Apr 21 | Mar 10 | Apr 28 | Jul 7 |
| South Jordanzone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 7 | Apr 25 | Jul 4 |
| Laytonzone 7a | Apr 19 | Mar 8 | Apr 26 | Jul 5 |
| Millcreekzone 7b | Apr 25 | Mar 14 | May 2 | Jul 11 |
| Herrimanzone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 7 | Apr 25 | Jul 4 |
| Eagle Mountainzone 6b | Apr 30 | Mar 19 | May 7 | Jul 16 |
| Taylorsvillezone 7b | Apr 8 | Feb 25 | Apr 15 | Jun 24 |
| Saratoga Springszone 7a | Apr 30 | Mar 19 | May 7 | Jul 16 |
| Loganzone 6a | Apr 30 | Mar 19 | May 7 | Jul 16 |
| Murrayzone 7b | Apr 29 | Mar 18 | May 6 | Jul 15 |
| Draperzone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 7 | Apr 25 | Jul 4 |
| Spanish Forkzone 7a | Apr 25 | Mar 14 | May 2 | Jul 11 |
| Rivertonzone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 7 | Apr 25 | Jul 4 |
| Bountifulzone 6b | Apr 25 | Mar 14 | May 2 | Jul 11 |
| American Forkzone 7a | Apr 17 | Mar 6 | Apr 24 | Jul 3 |
| Tooelezone 7a | May 2 | Mar 21 | May 9 | Jul 18 |
What Utah tomatillos need
Toma Verde Tomatillo SeedMust have
Salsa verde is not a green tomato sauce — it is a tomatillo sauce, and the difference is the tartness and the natural pectin that makes it cling. There is no substitute.
Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have
Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.
Seedling Heat Mat + Digital ThermostatMust have
Peppers germinate on soil temperature, not air temperature. At 65 °F a habanero takes a month and half of them rot; at 85 °F it is up in eight days. The thermostat is the half that matters.
T8 Full-Spectrum Grow Lights, 1 ft 4-packMust have
A south window in March delivers a fraction of the light a pepper seedling needs, and the plant tells you by stretching. Two inches of LED above the canopy for 16 hours a day fixes it permanently.
5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack
Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.
Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have
Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.
Organic Tomato-Tone 3-4-6 with 8% CalciumMust have
The NPK ratio is the point: low nitrogen, higher potassium. Feed a tomato a high-nitrogen lawn fertiliser and you get a magnificent six-foot plant with four tomatoes on it.
58" Square Tomato Cages, 3-PackMust have
The conical wire tomato ring from the hardware store is 33 inches tall and an indeterminate San Marzano will laugh at it in July. Height and square geometry are what actually hold a loaded plant.
Garden Harvest Basket with Tool Caddy
A harvest basket that doubles as a colander means the hose rinse happens in the garden, and the dirt stays outside. On a 20-pound tomato day that is a genuine time saving.
Stainless Steel Food Mill, 3 discsMust have
A blender pulverises tomato skins and seeds into the sauce, which is where bitterness comes from. A mill separates them out — no blanching, no peeling, no ice bath. It removes an entire hour from sauce day.
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Tomatillos in Utah: questions
When should I plant tomatillos in Utah?
Transplant around May 12 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 16 in the warmest tenth of Utah's ZIP codes to Jun 8 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 28 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When do I start tomatillos seeds indoors in Utah?
Around Mar 24 for Tomatillo: 6 weeks before the statewide median last frost, on soil held at 75–85 °F.
When is the last frost in Utah?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is May 5. In the warmest tenth of Utah's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 9; in the coldest tenth, on or after Jun 1.
When will Utah tomatillos be ready to harvest?
Tomatillo planted on the statewide date is ready around Jul 21: 70 days from transplant.
More for Utah
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant basil
- When to plant onions
- When to plant cilantro
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Tomatillos in every state → · Utah frost dates → · How frost-date math works →