Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
sapodilla (zones 10-12) does not overlap with Utah's zone range (4a-9a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Sapodilla is hardy to zone 10, and the warmest ground in Utah is zone 9 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Utah winter. To grow it here, grow sapodilla in a hoop house or unheated greenhouse — its modeled 1.5-zone lift covers this gap.
A hoop house or unheated greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 10-12 (plant) against 4-9 (Utah). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['hoop_house'] (+1.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Sapodilla in Utah — the short answer
Sapodilla in Utah: hardy in zones 10–12, part sun.
- Plant zones
- 10-12
- Not verified — UF/IFAS EDIS ST405 lists zones 10b–11
- 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
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 sapodilla 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 parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
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 sapodilla 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 Sapodilla Stands in Utah
Sapodilla is rated for zones 10–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°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 sapodilla.
Below the zone 10 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
Sapodilla Needs
- USDA Zones: 10-12
- Sun: Part Sun
- 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 10-12)
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 Sapodilla 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 sapodilla, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether sapodilla 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.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Sapodilla tolerates a wide pH range (pH 5.5-8.5) — 3 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 6 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 well (dry spells). If your Utah site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost.
Your land, not the state average
Utah's soils run mostly loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Sapodilla 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 sapodilla 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 sapodilla 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 sapodilla 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 — 11,221 documented sites across 7 of the 8 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 of imported, lab-tested 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 — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Sapodilla 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 sapodilla here specifically
Sapodilla's deep root system wants open ground, yet a large share of Utah is SSURGO group-D soil — dense and slow-draining enough to stall it.
Double-dig or broadfork sapodilla's bed to open the restrictive layer so roots can run. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Utah grower, not just sapodilla — 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 sapodilla to your county's window, not the statewide date.
County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Utah Sapodilla Is Zone-Hardy
Sapodilla is rated for USDA zones 10–12. No Utah county reaches it. Even Washington County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 7b, sits below the plant’s zone 10 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 29 counties Utah’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4b in Rich County to zone 7b in Washington County — 3 USDA zones of spread, which is 30°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band sapodilla needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Sapodilla’s zone 10–12 band: Not verified — UF/IFAS EDIS ST405 lists zones 10b–11. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Sapodilla draws honeybees (moderate value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, sapodilla 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. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Utah Cooperative Extension
For Utah-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for sapodilla, the canonical source is Utah State University Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Sapodilla native to Utah?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Sapodilla as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Utah's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Utah natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Utah growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Utah and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Sapodilla in Utah
When can I plant Sapodilla 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 Sapodilla, 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 Sapodilla grown in across Utah?
Utah spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Sapodilla is listed for zones 10-12, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in Utah where this page can call outdoor growing reliable. A parcel report resolves your own address's zone.
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). Sapodilla needs 180+ 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.
Is Sapodilla native to Utah?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Sapodilla as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Utah's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Utah natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Sapodilla in Utah?
Sapodilla tolerates pH 5.5-8.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-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 Sapodilla actually grow on my specific land in Utah?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores sapodilla against your address's mapped 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 sapodilla against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Utah sapodilla 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 sapodilla average
Explore More
Growing guides for sapodilla
Explore Utah county by county
Utah carries 29 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for sapodilla there:
Where else sapodilla grows
Sapodilla'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 1,033 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
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