Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
In a typical UK garden, sow indoors late February to late March, plant out early May to early June, and harvest mid-July to late October.
When to sow, plant and harvest
Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.
- Sow indoors
- late February to late March
- Plant out
- early May to early June
- Harvest
- mid-July to late October
Growing facts
- Spacing
- 45 cm apart, rows 60 cm apart
- Square foot
- 1 per square (30 cm squares)
- Sowing depth
- 0.5 cm
- Ready in
- 55 to 85 days from planting out
- Grows to
- 1.8 m
- Hardiness
- Tender: killed by any frost
- Sun
- Full sun
- Crops for
- About 10 weeks
Growing tip
Pinch out side shoots on cordon types each week, and feed with tomato food once fruit sets.
Neighbours
Nightshades are one crop rotation group. Try not to grow them where any of the family grew in the last two or three years. How crop rotation works
Guides
Tomatoes in zone 5 go out in mid-May, not a day sooner
In USDA zone 5, transplant tomatoes outside from mid-May to mid-June, once the last frost has passed and nights stay above 50 °F. Start seeds indoors from early March to early April, six to eight weeks before that.
Zone 7 tomatoes: an April start and a long, hot season
In USDA zone 7, transplant tomatoes from mid-April to mid-May, after the last frost around early April. Start seeds indoors from early February to early March. The season runs to late October, so heat in midsummer is a bigger challenge than frost.
When to sow tomato seeds, and when it's warm enough to plant out
Sow tomato seeds indoors from late February to late March. Plants go into an unheated greenhouse from early May and outdoors from late May to early June, once there's no more risk of frost. Sow outdoor tomatoes towards the end of that window.
More nightshades
Where these figures come from
Every crop in VegLog was checked against published growing advice. Dates are worked out from average frost dates, so they shift with your garden. For tomato, we used:
Grow tomato with VegLog
Add tomato to a bed and VegLog reminds you when to sow, plant out and pick, timed to your own town's frost dates.
