🍅When to Plant Tomato (2026)
The backyard favorite. Start indoors and transplant after all danger of frost.
- Type: Warm-season
- Method: Transplant
- Days to harvest: 75
- Spacing: 24" apart
- Sun: Full sun (6-8h)
- Companions: basil, carrot, marigold
Is Tomato right for your USDA zone?
Tomato is a warm-season crop that needs frost-free weather and warm soil to thrive. Gardeners in zones 5b through 10b have the longest tomato season. In cooler zones (3a-5a), choose fast-maturing varieties (65 days or less) and start seeds indoors to extend your window. In hot zones (9a-10b), tomato may struggle in peak summer — consider planting in February-March for a spring crop before the heat.
Tomato needs about 75 days from transplant to harvest, so any zone with at least 89frost-free days can grow it successfully. Check your zone's specific dates in the table below.
Tomato planting dates by zone (2026)
| Zone | Start Indoors | Sow / Transplant | Harvest From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Apr 3 | May 22 | Aug 5 |
| Zone 3b | Apr 3 | May 22 | Aug 5 |
| Zone 4a | Mar 29 | May 17 | Jul 31 |
| Zone 4b | Mar 24 | May 12 | Jul 26 |
| Zone 5a | Mar 19 | May 7 | Jul 21 |
| Zone 5b | Mar 14 | May 2 | Jul 16 |
| Zone 6a | Mar 9 | Apr 27 | Jul 11 |
| Zone 6b | Mar 4 | Apr 22 | Jul 6 |
| Zone 7a | Feb 27 | Apr 17 | Jul 1 |
| Zone 7b | Feb 22 | Apr 12 | Jun 26 |
| Zone 8a | Feb 11 | Apr 1 | Jun 15 |
| Zone 8b | Feb 1 | Mar 22 | Jun 5 |
| Zone 9a | Jan 14 | Mar 4 | May 18 |
| Zone 9b | Dec 30 | Feb 17 | May 3 |
| Zone 10a | Dec 20 | Feb 7 | Apr 23 |
| Zone 10b | Dec 4 | Jan 22 | Apr 7 |