When to plant Tomato
The cornerstone of the summer vegetable garden. A frost-tender warm-season fruit that needs a long, hot stretch to ripen, so almost everyone starts it indoors. Determinate ('bush') types set fruit all at once; indeterminate ('vine') types keep producing until frost and want staking.
Companions: Basil, marigold, carrot, onion — avoid potatoes and fennel
How to grow Tomato
Tomato is usually started indoors and transplanted out, giving this tender crop the head start it needs. Give it full sun and space plants about 24 inches apart. It takes roughly 75 days from planting to its first harvest, so count that against your frost dates to be sure it can finish. Classic companions include basil, marigold, carrot, onion — avoid potatoes and fennel.
Grower's tip: Start indoors 6 weeks before last frost. Don't transplant until nights stay above 50°F (10°C).
When to plant Tomato by USDA zone
Timing shifts with your climate — the same tomato goes in weeks earlier in a mild zone than a cold one. Find your zone below for its planting window, or open that zone's full calendar.
| Zone | When to plant |
|---|---|
| Zone 1a | Start seeds indoors Apr 27–May 11 Transplant outdoors Jun 22–Jun 29 |
| Zone 1b | Start seeds indoors Apr 22–May 6 Transplant outdoors Jun 17–Jun 24 |
| Zone 2a | Start seeds indoors Apr 17–May 1 Transplant outdoors Jun 12–Jun 19 |
| Zone 2b | Start seeds indoors Apr 11–Apr 25 Transplant outdoors Jun 6–Jun 13 |
| Zone 3a | Start seeds indoors Apr 6–Apr 20 Transplant outdoors Jun 1–Jun 8 |
| Zone 3b | Start seeds indoors Apr 1–Apr 15 Transplant outdoors May 27–Jun 3 |
| Zone 4a | Start seeds indoors Mar 27–Apr 10 Transplant outdoors May 22–May 29 |
| Zone 4b | Start seeds indoors Mar 22–Apr 5 Transplant outdoors May 17–May 24 |
| Zone 5a | Start seeds indoors Mar 17–Mar 31 Transplant outdoors May 12–May 19 |
| Zone 5b | Start seeds indoors Mar 12–Mar 26 Transplant outdoors May 7–May 14 |
| Zone 6a | Start seeds indoors Mar 3–Mar 17 Transplant outdoors Apr 28–May 5 |
| Zone 6b | Start seeds indoors Feb 25–Mar 11 Transplant outdoors Apr 22–Apr 29 |
| Zone 7a | Start seeds indoors Feb 17–Mar 3 Transplant outdoors Apr 14–Apr 21 |
| Zone 7b | Start seeds indoors Feb 11–Feb 25 Transplant outdoors Apr 8–Apr 15 |
| Zone 8a | Start seeds indoors Feb 1–Feb 15 Transplant outdoors Mar 29–Apr 5 |
| Zone 8b | Start seeds indoors Jan 25–Feb 8 Transplant outdoors Mar 22–Mar 29 |
| Zone 9a | Start seeds indoors Jan 10–Jan 24 Transplant outdoors Mar 7–Mar 14 |
| Zone 9b | Start seeds indoors Dec 28–Jan 11 Transplant outdoors Feb 22–Mar 1 |
| Zone 10a | Start seeds indoors Dec 13–Dec 27 Transplant outdoors Feb 7–Feb 14 |
| Zone 10b | Start seeds indoors Nov 27–Dec 11 Transplant outdoors Jan 22–Jan 29 |
| Zone 11a | Start seeds indoors Nov 13–Nov 27 Transplant outdoors Jan 8–Jan 15 |
| Zone 11b | Start seeds indoors Nov 13–Nov 27 Transplant outdoors Jan 8–Jan 15 |
| Zone 12a | Start seeds indoors Nov 13–Nov 27 Transplant outdoors Jan 8–Jan 15 |
| Zone 12b | Start seeds indoors Nov 13–Nov 27 Transplant outdoors Jan 8–Jan 15 |
| Zone 13a | Start seeds indoors Nov 13–Nov 27 Transplant outdoors Jan 8–Jan 15 |
| Zone 13b | Start seeds indoors Nov 13–Nov 27 Transplant outdoors Jan 8–Jan 15 |