When to Plant Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a tender warm-season vegetable. Frost damages them, so they go out only after the last spring frost.
Start seeds indoors 5 to 7 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out 1 to 3 weeks after the last frost. The first harvest comes about 60 to 85 days after transplanting.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 |
| Harden off | Mar 15 – 21 | Apr 15 – 21 | May 15 – 21 |
| Plant out | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 22 – May 6 | May 22 – Jun 5 |
| Harvest | May 21 – Jul 30 | Jun 21 – Aug 30 | Jul 21 – Sep 29 |
Growing tomatoes
Wait for warm nights before setting plants out, and stake or cage them at planting so roots are not disturbed later.
- Spacing: 24 in apart, in rows 48 in apart. In a raised bed, 1 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 60 to 85 from transplanting, then about 10 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: tomatoes are in the tomato family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: basil, bell pepper, borage, calendula, carrot, celery, chives, cucumber, garlic, green onion, head lettuce, hot pepper, leaf lettuce, leek, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion (bulb), oregano, parsley, romaine lettuce, shallot, sunflower, thyme. See companion plants for tomatoes.
- Usually kept apart from: broccoli, brussels sprouts, bush bean, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, fennel (florence), kale, kohlrabi, potato, sweet corn.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant tomatoes and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start tomatoes indoors?
5 to 7 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Feb 25 – Mar 11. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can tomatoes go in before the last frost?
No. Tomatoes are damaged by frost: plant them out 1 to 3 weeks after the last spring frost.
How long do tomatoes take to grow?
About 60 to 85 days from transplanting to the first harvest, which then lasts about 10 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Germination Requirements for Annuals and Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden
- Utah State University Extension: Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors: I. Planning
- University of Maryland Extension: Starting Seeds Indoors
- Purdue University Extension: Starting Seeds Indoors (HO-14-W)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Companion Planting (Food Hero, 2021)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Utah State University Extension, Utah 4-H: Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Companion Planting (2025)
- Penn State Extension: Herbs Make Good Plant Partners and Companions
- SDSU Extension: Square-Foot Garden Sample Planting Layout (P-00379, 2026)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Plant Partners: 5 Benefits of Companion Planting (2025)
- N.C. A&T State University Cooperative Extension: Five Veggies You Can Grow at Home
- University of Vermont Extension: Creating a Biodiverse Vegetable Garden (2023)