Dibble

When to plant Tomato

Start seeds indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost. Harden off and transplant a week or two after frost danger passes, burying the stem deep for strong roots.

Type: VegetablesSun: Full sunWater: Moderate waterDays to maturity: 75Spacing: 24"Hardiness: Tender

Download on the App Store

When to plant Tomato by zone

ZoneStart seeds indoorsSow or transplantHarvest
Zone 3April 3May 22August 5
Zone 4March 29May 17July 31
Zone 5March 19May 7July 21
Zone 6March 10April 28July 12
Zone 7February 27April 17July 1
Zone 8February 14April 4June 18
Zone 9January 18March 8May 22
Zone 10December 20February 7April 23
Zone 11November 20January 8March 24

These dates use typical frost dates for each zone. Dibble tunes them to your exact ZIP and lets you adjust frost dates for your own yard.

Companion plants

Good neighbors for Tomato:

BasilCarrotOnionMarigold

Better kept apart:

PotatoFennelCabbage

Family and rotation

Tomato is in the nightshades family. Heavy feeders and disease-prone. Rotate so nightshades don't return to a bed for 3 years. Learn about crop rotation.

Related crops

Pepper

When to plant

Potato

When to plant

Eggplant

When to plant

Hot Pepper

When to plant

Tomatillo

When to plant

Onion

When to plant

Questions

When should I plant tomato?

It depends on your zone. Tomato is a tender crop, so the timing follows your last spring frost. Look up your zone in the table below for exact start, sow, and harvest dates, or open Dibble and enter your ZIP to get your own calendar.

How long does tomato take to grow?

About 75 days from transplant to the first harvest, with a picking window of roughly 60 days after that.

What grows well with tomato?

Good companions include Basil, Carrot, Onion, Marigold. Keep it away from Potato, Fennel, Cabbage.


Plant at the right time this season

Dibble builds your calendar in under a minute. Free to start, no account needed.