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Tomatoes

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When to plant tomatoes

Plant out once nights stay above 10 °C. Fruit sets poorly when days pass 32–35 °C or nights stay above 24 °C.

Photo: User:Luigi Chiesa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The rules we use

Frost
Tender: killed by frost. Goes out 1–2 weeks after the average last frost.
Start indoors
6–8 weeks before planting out
Soil warm enough
Weekly mean around 15°C59°F or more
Heat limit
Average highs above 35°C95°F while it matures (flowers drop)
Warm nights
Fruit set fails when lows stay above 23°C73°F
Days to harvest
About 70 days from planting out in warm weather; longer when it is cool
Picking
About 8 weeks from one planting

General guidance, kept on the cautious side. Varieties differ: check the seed packet. How the dates are worked out.

At a glance

Grows outdoors in
81 of 89 cities
Earliest start (north)
Honolulu, January 1
Latest start (north)
Miami, September 12
Can go in this week
13 cities
No outdoor window
Anchorage, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Calgary, Edmonton

Tomatoes: city by city

Sorted from the earliest start after midwinter to the latest. Southern-hemisphere cities follow, with their seasons six months on.

Sow indoorsSow or plant outdoorsHarvestFrost seasonToday

Northern hemisphere
HonoluluHawaii
Los AngelesCalifornia
PhoenixArizona
JacksonvilleFlorida
HoustonTexas
New OrleansLouisiana
San AntonioTexas
TucsonArizona
San DiegoCalifornia
AustinTexas
Las VegasNevada
DallasTexas
CharlestonSouth Carolina
El PasoTexas
FresnoCalifornia
BirminghamAlabama
Little RockArkansas
AtlantaGeorgia
SacramentoCalifornia
MemphisTennessee
San JoseCalifornia
CharlotteNorth Carolina
TulsaOklahoma
RaleighNorth Carolina
NashvilleTennessee
Oklahoma CityOklahoma
RichmondVirginia
St. LouisMissouri
LouisvilleKentucky
BaltimoreMaryland
WashingtonDistrict of Columbia
Kansas CityMissouri
AlbuquerqueNew Mexico
CincinnatiOhio
PhiladelphiaPennsylvania
IndianapolisIndiana
ColumbusOhio
PittsburghPennsylvania
OmahaNebraska
Des MoinesIowa
New YorkNew York
ClevelandOhio
Salt Lake CityUtah
MinneapolisMinnesota
DetroitMichigan
ChicagoIllinois
BostonMassachusetts
DenverColorado
San FranciscoCalifornia
BoiseIdaho
MadisonWisconsin
FargoNorth Dakota
MilwaukeeWisconsin
MontrealQuebec
BuffaloNew York
TorontoOntario
OttawaOntario
PortlandOregon
BurlingtonVermont
PortlandMaine
BillingsMontana
VancouverBritish Columbia
SpokaneWashington
WinnipegManitoba
LondonEngland
SeattleWashington
CardiffWales
ManchesterEngland
BristolEngland
HalifaxNova Scotia
OrlandoFlorida
TampaFlorida
MiamiFlorida
Southern hemisphere
BrisbaneQueensland
PerthWestern Australia
SydneyNew South Wales
AdelaideSouth Australia
MelbourneVictoria
AucklandNew Zealand
CanberraAustralian Capital Territory
HobartTasmania

Swipe sideways to see the whole year →

Dates

CitySow indoorsPlant outHarvest
Honolulu HawaiiNov 6 – Dec 11Jan 1 – Dec 31Jan 1 – Dec 31
Los Angeles CaliforniaDec 10 – Jan 14Feb 4 – Dec 13Jan 1 – Dec 31
Phoenix ArizonaDec 20 – Jan 24, Aug 3 – Aug 21Feb 14 – Apr 3, Sep 28 – Oct 2Nov 28 – Feb 3, Apr 25 – Jul 18
Jacksonville FloridaDec 27 – Jan 31, Jun 11 – Jul 16, Sep 26 – Oct 30Feb 21 – May 21, Aug 6 – Nov 7, Nov 21 – Dec 11Sep 24 – Sep 2
Houston TexasDec 27 – Jan 31, Jun 5 – Jul 10Feb 21 – May 4, Jul 31 – Oct 2May 1 – Aug 16, Sep 18 – Dec 27
New Orleans LouisianaJan 1 – Feb 5, Jun 6 – Jul 11Feb 26 – May 18, Aug 1 – Oct 2Sep 19 – Jan 7, May 5 – Aug 30
San Antonio TexasJan 5 – Feb 9, May 31 – Jul 5Mar 2 – May 15, Jul 26 – Sep 20May 5 – Aug 27, Sep 13 – Dec 2
Tucson ArizonaJan 5 – Feb 9, Jul 5 – Aug 9Mar 2 – Apr 14, Aug 30 – Sep 23May 10 – Jul 29, Oct 18 – Dec 8
San Diego CaliforniaJan 6 – Feb 10Mar 3 – Nov 10Jun 1 – May 11
Austin TexasJan 9 – Feb 13, May 31 – Jul 5Mar 6 – May 19, Jul 26 – Sep 18May 11 – Aug 31, Sep 13 – Dec 2
Las Vegas NevadaJan 19 – Feb 23Mar 16 – Apr 23May 20 – Aug 6
Dallas TexasJan 22 – Feb 26, Jun 1 – Jul 6Mar 19 – May 13, Jul 27 – Sep 11May 22 – Aug 25, Sep 14 – Nov 26
Charleston South CarolinaJan 25 – Mar 1, May 19 – Jun 23Mar 22 – Jun 1, Jul 14 – Sep 15May 27 – Dec 6
El Paso TexasJan 28 – Mar 4, May 26 – Jun 30Mar 25 – Apr 26, Jul 21 – Sep 6May 28 – Aug 10, Sep 8 – Nov 18
Fresno CaliforniaJan 31 – Mar 7, Jun 30 – Jul 26Mar 28 – May 11, Aug 25 – Sep 6Jun 3 – Aug 24, Oct 15 – Nov 19
Birmingham AlabamaFeb 4 – Mar 11Apr 1 – Aug 30Jun 4 – Nov 10
Little Rock ArkansasFeb 5 – Mar 12Apr 2 – Aug 29Jun 3 – Nov 9
Atlanta GeorgiaFeb 7 – Mar 14Apr 4 – Aug 27Jun 7 – Nov 7
Sacramento CaliforniaFeb 10 – Mar 17Apr 7 – Sep 3Jun 15 – Nov 18
Memphis TennesseeFeb 11 – Mar 18Apr 8 – Aug 29Jun 8 – Nov 11
San Jose CaliforniaFeb 11 – Mar 18Apr 8 – Sep 5Jun 25 – Dec 2
Charlotte North CarolinaFeb 12 – Mar 19Apr 9 – Aug 23Jun 10 – Nov 2
Tulsa OklahomaFeb 14 – Mar 21, May 8 – Jun 12Apr 11 – Jun 14, Jul 3 – Aug 24Jun 12 – Nov 3
Raleigh North CarolinaFeb 16 – Mar 23Apr 13 – Aug 23Jun 15 – Nov 3
Nashville TennesseeFeb 16 – Mar 23Apr 13 – Aug 23Jun 13 – Nov 2
Oklahoma City OklahomaFeb 17 – Mar 24, May 10 – Jun 14Apr 14 – Jun 7, Jul 5 – Aug 24Jun 12 – Nov 1
Richmond VirginiaFeb 22 – Mar 29Apr 19 – Aug 21Jun 19 – Nov 3
St. Louis MissouriFeb 26 – Apr 2Apr 23 – Aug 15Jun 21 – Oct 25
Louisville KentuckyFeb 26 – Apr 2Apr 23 – Aug 18Jun 22 – Oct 30
Baltimore MarylandMar 1 – Apr 5Apr 26 – Aug 18Jun 25 – Oct 31
Washington District of ColumbiaMar 1 – Apr 5Apr 26 – Aug 18Jun 26 – Oct 31
Kansas City MissouriMar 1 – Apr 5Apr 26 – Aug 14Jun 25 – Oct 25
Albuquerque New MexicoMar 2 – Apr 6Apr 27 – Aug 15Jun 26 – Oct 27
Cincinnati OhioMar 4 – Apr 8Apr 29 – Aug 12Jun 29 – Oct 24
Philadelphia PennsylvaniaMar 8 – Apr 12May 3 – Aug 15Jul 2 – Oct 28
Indianapolis IndianaMar 9 – Apr 13May 4 – Aug 10Jul 3 – Oct 22
Columbus OhioMar 10 – Apr 14May 5 – Aug 8Jul 4 – Oct 21
Pittsburgh PennsylvaniaMar 12 – Apr 16May 7 – Aug 6Jul 7 – Oct 20
Omaha NebraskaMar 13 – Apr 17May 8 – Aug 6Jul 6 – Oct 17
Des Moines IowaMar 14 – Apr 18May 9 – Aug 4Jul 8 – Oct 16
New York New YorkMar 16 – Apr 20May 11 – Aug 11Jul 10 – Oct 27
Cleveland OhioMar 18 – Apr 22May 13 – Aug 5Jul 13 – Oct 19
Salt Lake City UtahMar 20 – Apr 24, May 9 – Jun 13May 15 – Jun 7, Jul 4 – Aug 7Jul 13 – Oct 17
Minneapolis MinnesotaMar 21 – Apr 25May 16 – Jul 26Jul 15 – Oct 9
Detroit MichiganMar 22 – Apr 26May 17 – Aug 1Jul 17 – Oct 15
Chicago IllinoisMar 23 – Apr 27May 18 – Aug 2Jul 18 – Oct 16
Boston MassachusettsMar 25 – Apr 29May 20 – Aug 2Jul 20 – Oct 17
Denver ColoradoMar 26 – Apr 30May 21 – Jul 28Jul 19 – Oct 7
San Francisco CaliforniaMar 26 – Apr 30May 21 – Aug 14Aug 26 – Nov 30
Boise IdahoMar 27 – May 1May 22 – Aug 2Jul 23 – Oct 14
Madison WisconsinMar 28 – May 2May 23 – Jul 23Jul 25 – Oct 9
Fargo North DakotaMar 29 – May 3May 24 – Jul 18Jul 23 – Sep 29
Milwaukee WisconsinMar 30 – May 4May 25 – Jul 26Jul 26 – Oct 11
Montreal QuebecMar 30 – May 4May 25 – Jul 21Jul 28 – Oct 5
Buffalo New YorkApr 1 – May 6May 27 – Jul 26Jul 30 – Oct 13
Toronto OntarioApr 1 – May 6May 27 – Jul 23Jul 29 – Oct 8
Ottawa OntarioApr 1 – May 6May 27 – Jul 16Jul 31 – Oct 1
Portland OregonApr 3 – May 8May 29 – Jul 23Aug 10 – Oct 17
Burlington VermontApr 4 – May 9May 30 – Jul 21Aug 3 – Oct 8
Portland MaineApr 4 – May 9May 30 – Jul 19Aug 4 – Oct 7
Billings MontanaApr 6 – May 11Jun 1 – Jul 21Jul 31 – Oct 2
Vancouver British ColumbiaApr 7 – May 12Jun 2 – Jul 9Aug 19 – Oct 7
Spokane WashingtonApr 8 – May 13Jun 3 – Jul 16Aug 7 – Oct 1
Winnipeg ManitobaApr 9 – May 14Jun 4 – Jul 7Aug 7 – Sep 21
London EnglandApr 10 – May 15Jun 5 – Jul 9Aug 22 – Oct 15
Seattle WashingtonApr 11 – May 16Jun 6 – Jul 10Aug 24 – Oct 12
Cardiff WalesApr 17 – May 15Jun 12 – Jun 26Sep 11 – Oct 14
Manchester EnglandApr 18 – May 7Jun 13 – Jun 18Sep 17 – Oct 7
Bristol EnglandApr 18 – May 14Jun 13 – Jun 25Sep 13 – Oct 13
Halifax Nova ScotiaApr 24 – May 29Jun 19 – Jul 10Aug 31 – Oct 6
Orlando FloridaJun 7 – Jul 12Aug 2 – Jun 29Jan 1 – Dec 31
Tampa FloridaJun 20 – Jul 25Aug 15 – May 7Oct 3 – Aug 19
Miami FloridaJul 18 – Aug 22Sep 12 – Apr 18Oct 31 – Jul 31
Brisbane QueenslandJun 10 – Jul 15Aug 5 – Jul 10Jan 1 – Dec 31
Perth Western AustraliaApr 15 – May 7, Jul 12 – Aug 16Sep 6 – May 12, Jun 10 – Jun 18Jan 1 – Dec 31
Sydney New South WalesJul 16 – Aug 20Sep 10 – Apr 8Nov 28 – Oct 6
Adelaide South AustraliaAug 7 – Sep 11Oct 2 – Mar 2Dec 17 – Jun 12
Melbourne VictoriaAug 25 – Sep 29Oct 20 – Feb 17Jan 8 – May 29
Auckland New ZealandSep 2 – Oct 7Oct 28 – Feb 21Jan 16 – Jun 10
Canberra Australian Capital TerritorySep 10 – Oct 15Nov 5 – Jan 30Jan 18 – Apr 30
Hobart TasmaniaOct 19 – Nov 10Dec 14 – Dec 22Mar 28 – Apr 22
Anchorage AlaskaSummers are too cool for a reliable outdoor crop. Grow it in a greenhouse or polytunnel.
Birmingham EnglandNo outdoor window passes all the checks here; grow it under cover or try a specialist variety.
Edinburgh ScotlandSummers are too cool for a reliable outdoor crop. Grow it in a greenhouse or polytunnel.
Glasgow ScotlandSummers are too cool for a reliable outdoor crop. Grow it in a greenhouse or polytunnel.
Belfast Northern IrelandNo outdoor window passes all the checks here; grow it under cover or try a specialist variety.
Dublin IrelandNo outdoor window passes all the checks here; grow it under cover or try a specialist variety.
Calgary AlbertaNo outdoor window passes all the checks here; grow it under cover or try a specialist variety.
Edmonton AlbertaNo outdoor window passes all the checks here; grow it under cover or try a specialist variety.

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