When to Plant Tomatoes by City

Tomatoes are damaged by any freeze and grow slowly below 50°F. The general rule is to transplant 1-2 weeks after the average last frost, once nighttime lows are reliably above 50°F.

For Atlanta, that's usually mid-April. Minneapolis gardeners wait until late May. San Francisco can transplant almost any time — though tomatoes actually struggle with cool summer nights there, so a late-spring start to catch a warm August is often best.

The traditional gardener's trick: watch the soil, not the calendar. If the top 4 inches of soil stay above 60°F for a full week, tomatoes will take off.