<i>C. elegans</i> heterochronic genes determine the timing of expression of specific cell fates in particular stages of developing larva. However, their broader roles in coordinating developmental events across diverse tissues have been less well investigated. Here, we show that loss of <i>
lin-28</i>, a central heterochronic regulator of hypodermal development, causes reduced fertility associated with abnormal somatic gonadal morphology. In particular, the abnormal spermatheca-uterine valve morphology of <i>
lin-28(lf)</i> hermaphrodites traps embryos in the spermatheca, which disrupts ovulation and causes embryonic lethality. The same genes that act downstream of <i>
lin-28</i> in the regulation of hypodermal developmental timing also act downstream of <i>
lin-28</i> in somatic gonadal morphogenesis and fertility. Importantly, we find that hypodermal expression, but not somatic gonadal expression, of <i>
lin-28</i> is sufficient for restoring normal somatic gonadal morphology in <i>
lin-28(lf)</i> mutants. We propose that the abnormal somatic gonadal morphogenesis of <i>
lin-28(lf)</i> hermaphrodites results from temporal discoordination between the accelerated hypodermal development and normally timed somatic gonadal development. Thus, our findings exemplify how a cell-intrinsic developmental timing program can also control proper development of other interacting tissues, presumably by cell non-autonomous signal(s).