When should you plant tomatoes?
Tomatoes go out after your local last frost date, and more precisely once night temperatures reliably hold above 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the soil has warmed to about 60. A single frost kills them, and even frost-free cold stalls growth so badly that a plant set out two weeks later often overtakes the eager one.
The last frost date is a zip-code question, not a national one: mid-March along the Gulf, late May in the upper Midwest and mountains. Look yours up through the USDA plant hardiness map or your state's cooperative extension, then add a one-to-two week buffer, since the date is a 50-50 probability, not a promise.
Starting from seed indoors, count back six to eight weeks from that date. And plant seedlings deep, burying two-thirds of the stem; tomatoes root along the buried stem and repay the burial with a stronger plant.
After your area's last frost date, once nights hold above 50°F and soil hits 60. Look up your date by zip code; planting by the calendar instead of the frost date is how Mother's Day tomatoes die.
- USDA plant hardiness zone map
- State cooperative extension services
Published . Last reviewed . We correct errors and note the change.
Cite this page
https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/when-to-plant-tomatoes/Everybody Asks. (2026, July 28). When should you plant tomatoes? https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/when-to-plant-tomatoes/“When should you plant tomatoes?” Everybody Asks, 28 July 2026, https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/when-to-plant-tomatoes/.“When should you plant tomatoes?” Everybody Asks. Last modified July 28, 2026. https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/when-to-plant-tomatoes/.This page summarizes the primary sources listed above. For academic or encyclopedic work, cite those primary sources directly wherever possible.