Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
clove (zones 11-12) does not overlap with Utah's zone range (4a-9a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Clove is hardy to zone 11, and the warmest ground in Utah is zone 9 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Utah winter. To grow it here, grow clove in an earth-sheltered greenhouse — its modeled 2.5-zone lift covers this gap.
An earth-sheltered greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 11-12 (plant) against 4-9 (Utah). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['earth_sheltered'] (+2.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Clove in Utah — the short answer
Clove in Utah: hardy in zones 11–12, full sun, against a state median of ~175 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 11-12
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Utah zones
- 4a-9a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 12 - May 6 – Oct 8 - Oct 27
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 98 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 365 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Utah spans zones 4a-9a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score clove against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
Utah is not one climate
Utah’s winter-low ladder runs across 29 counties, from zone 4.5 in Rich County to zone 7.5 in Washington County. That is 30°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between clove overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 29 counties runs 6–7 zones, with a median of 6.5 zones — a 3-zone span end to end.
Measured across 29 Utah counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where Clove Stands in Utah
Clove is rated for zones 11–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 40 to 50°F. No Utah county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Utah winters, not about clove.
Below the zone 11 floor
29 counties
- Rich County · zone 4b
- Daggett County · zone 5b
- Iron County · zone 5b
3 of 29 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Clove Needs
- USDA Zones: 11-12
- Frost-Free Days: 150+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 35 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Utah Has
- USDA Zones: 4a-9a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 12 - May 6
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 8 - Oct 27
- Annual Rainfall: 5-20 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Alkaline clay, Desert sand
Plant Zone Range (zones 11-12)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Clove in Utah
The frost window
Across Utah, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 12 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 8 and Oct 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 155-day window you can count on — up to 198 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Utah runs as cold as USDA zone 4, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for clove, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether clove is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Utah; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Summit County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says clove does not survive a Utah winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on Utah under protection.
Frost-free days
Clove wants 150+ frost-free days; a typical Utah site sees ~175 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
Growing degree days
Clove needs ~5500 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~2690 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Utah's typical season runs short on heat — pick a south-facing site and consider season extension.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Clove tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-8) — 3.5 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Utah. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Utah soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells). If your Utah site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Utah's soils run mostly loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Clove needs about 59 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how clove performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Utah soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant clove for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before clove goes in. What follows is Utah’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Utah — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Utah — 17,478 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 202 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Utah carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Utah
Severity Distribution
across Utah
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Utah, Mining runs higher than the national average — 3,654 sites across Utah. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.
Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.
Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Clove in Utah
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Utah growers also need to think about:
Very low rainfall — irrigation essential
Alkaline soils (pH 7.5-8.5) limit many species
High altitude frost risk in mountain valleys
Growing clove here specifically
Clove takes ~365 days and rates to zones 11–12; against Utah's ~175 frost-free days, timing is everything.
Buy clove weeks with an early indoor sowing and season-extending covers. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Utah grower, not just clove — is covered on the Utah growing guide.
Timing shifts within Utah
Utah isn't one climate. In Summit County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Jun 10 — roughly 45 days later than the recorded state median — so plant clove to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Clove needs about 150 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 23 of Utah’s 29 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Morgan County at 151 frost-free days — 1 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
Across Utah’s 29 counties the frost-free season runs from 98 days in Summit County to 237 days in Washington County — a spread of 139 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Utah county sees 175 frost-free days, leaving clove about 25 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Clove's 150-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Clove draws honeybees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, clove can only work that bloom inside Utah's frost window — roughly 175 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 12 - May 6) and closing at the first (Oct 8 - Oct 27), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Recommended Clove Varieties for Utah
Utah publishes no state variety trial for clove, so we won't invent a "best for Utah" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (4a-9a), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
Utah Cooperative Extension
For Utah-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for clove, the canonical source is Utah State University Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Clove in Utah
When can I plant Clove in Utah?
Utah's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 12 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 8 and Oct 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Clove, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Utah and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Clove grown in across Utah?
Utah spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Clove carries a range of zones 11-12, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Utah site have?
A typical Utah site sees ~175 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Clove needs 150+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Summit, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for Clove in Utah?
Clove tolerates pH 4.5-8 and poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.5-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Utah site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Clove actually grow on my specific land in Utah?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores clove against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Utah
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores clove against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Utah clove averages can't show:
We read public map data around Utah — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Utah clove average
Explore More
Growing guides for clove
Explore Utah county by county
Utah carries 29 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for clove there:
Where else clove grows
Clove's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Utah in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Utah
Utah has a growing page for 1,038 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Last updated: