How to grow tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Get your exact dates
The windows below are relative to your frost dates. Enter your ZIP for the calendar dates.
Open the planting calendarWhen to plant tomato
Start seeds indoors6 weeks before your last spring frost to 5 weeks before your last spring frost
Transplant outdoorsat your last spring frost to 2 weeks after your last spring frost
Growing conditions
- Spacing
- 24 to 36 in apart
- Planting depth
- 0.25 in
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- 1 in per week
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
Common problems
Tomato by hardiness zone
Planting dates for a typical location in each zone:
Sources
Last updated 2026-06-11.