What Grows in Hooper, Utah

USDA Zones 7a · 30K acres

Hooper, Utah, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

Growers here do well with cabbage, blackberry, california poppy, and collard greens — with the usual caveat that any single yard's soil, sun, and drainage cast the deciding vote.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Hooper, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Hooper lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Hooper — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

No card required · your full report in seconds

Hooper — the short answer

Hooper, Utah: USDA zone 7a, about 159 days between hard freezes, across 30K acres of city.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
May 5
Weber County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 11
Weber County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~159
Weber County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
30K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Weber County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

7a7a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7a is Hooper's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Hooper's 159-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Hooper

Each reading below is measured for Hooper itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Hooper runs about 159 days between hard freezes (read from Weber County, the closest normal to Hooper) — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Hooper sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Hooper is in

Hooper sits in the Central Basin and Range — EPA Level III, inside the wider North American Deserts. That is read at Hooper's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Weber County is mostly Wasatch and Uinta Mountains. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Hooper

Every plant below cleared Hooper's own zone 7a and its 159-day season. Each card opens that plant's Utah profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in UtahZones 2–11Hooper's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Utah blackberry guideZones 5–8Hooper's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in UtahZones 6–10Hooper's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Utah growing notesZones 2–11Hooper's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in UtahZones 6–10Hooper's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Utah lavender guideZones 5–8Hooper's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in UtahZones 2–10Hooper's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw: Utah growing notesZones 5–9Hooper's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in UtahHooper's 159 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Utah kale guideZones 2–11Hooper's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan in UtahZones 5–9Hooper's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Utah growing notesZones 2–11Hooper's 159 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Growing prickly pear in UtahZones 5–10Hooper's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Utah okra guideZones 2–12Hooper's 159 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in UtahZones 2–11Hooper's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Utah growing notesZones 3–10Hooper's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in UtahZones 2–11Hooper's 159 days clear the ~70 it needs.
holly, photograph
Utah holly guideZones 5–11Hooper's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in UtahZones 3–8Hooper's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Utah growing notesZones 3–8Hooper's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in UtahHooper's 159 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Utah lilac guideZones 4–10Hooper's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
crossvine, photograph
Crossvine in UtahZones 5–9Hooper's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Utah growing notesZones 6–8Hooper's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in UtahZones 3–9Hooper's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Utah ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Hooper's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in UtahZones 2–7Hooper's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
western red cedar, photograph
Western red cedar: Utah growing notesZones 4–10Hooper's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in UtahZones 5–10Hooper's 159 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Utah indian grass guideZones 4–9Hooper's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Hooper?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Apr 7; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near May 5 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 11 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Late in the year the fall bench takes over — quick greens, radishes, and garlic that repays you next summer.

What's on the federal record near Hooper

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Hooper. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. Utah and Nebraska Mining CoMining · 75 ft
  2. Utah and Nebraska Mining Co. ClaimsMining · 150 ft
  3. (B- 5- 4)21cbb- 1Nitrate · 1.3 mi
  4. (B- 5- 4)21cbb- 2Nitrate · 1.4 mi
  5. PROMONTORY POINT TRAILER PARKUnderground Storage Tanks · 5.6 mi
  6. (B- 6- 5)15bbc- 1Nitrate · 7.2 mi
  7. Lakeside Copper Co.Mining · 7.6 mi
  8. UnknownMining · 7.9 mi
  9. (B- 6- 3)19abc- 1Nitrate · 8.3 mi
  10. PROMONTORY POINT TRANSMITTER SITEUnderground Storage Tanks · 8.3 mi
  11. LITTLE MTN. SANITARY SEWER FAC.Underground Storage Tanks · 8.3 mi
  12. Big PineyMining · 8.4 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Hooper's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Hooper.

Total Sites

54

within ~10 miles of Hooper

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

2 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Hooper

High16Moderate27Low11

Highest-Severity Sites

Utah and Nebraska Mining CO
Mining Sites · Unknown
(B- 5- 4)21cbb- 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
(B- 5- 4)21cbb- 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
(B- 5- 4)21cbb- 2
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
(B- 5- 4)21cbb- 2
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Hooper, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Hooper — Mining (25 sites) and Nitrate (16 sites). 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.

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Hooper

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Hooper average

Your land is one point inside Hooper

Everything above resolves to Hooper as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 30K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Weber County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this city’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at city scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Hooper Average

Hooper Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Hooper
  • One soil character for all of Hooper
  • Frost dates read at Hooper's scale: May 5 to Oct 11

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Hooper's 7a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Hooper

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Hooper, Utah — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Hooper averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Hooper averages 159Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Hooper — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Hooper average

How we know this about Hooper

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Weber County’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Hooper

When does frost risk typically end in Hooper?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Hooper typically lands around May 5, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about May 26.

When is the first frost in Hooper?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Hooper typically arrives around Oct 11, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Sep 27, so the watching starts about Sep 11 — about 159 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Hooper?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Hooper sees about 159 frost-free days — roughly May 5 through Oct 11, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 26 to Sep 27, about 124 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Hooper?

The federal record around Hooper runs heavier than most — 54 documented sites, mostly Mining entries (25), the nearest Mining record under a tenth of a mile out — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Hooper?

From about Sep 11 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Oct 11 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Oct 11. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Hooper's scale — its 7a band and its 159-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Hooper's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Hooper’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Hooper's own scale — the 30,288 acres it covers and 54 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Hooper's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 54 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Hooper, the closest Mining record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Hooper's boundary and the 30,288 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~159-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Hooper sits in the Central Basin and Range — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Hooper has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Weber County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Hooper's 30,288 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Weber County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Weber County
  • The growing challenges every Utah grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Utah
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Weber County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Hooper's 30,288 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Hooper you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 30,288 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Mining record under a tenth of a mile out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Hooper-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address