State × crop calendar

Tomatoes planting in Colorado.

  • Primary crop
  • Zone 5b
  • 145-day season
  • Last frost May 10
  • Vegetable
  • Frost Sensitive

Tomatoes planting in Colorado is shaped by the state's 5b dominant hardiness zone, last frost date around May 10, and a 145-day growing season. Tomatoes is widely grown in Colorado — commercially significant or common in home gardens and food plots.

Planting dates on this page are climatological estimates from USDA frost-date norms and zone-typical planting offsets. Verify against Colorado State University Extension for variety- and county-specific guidance.

Planting calendar — 2026

Frost-anchored windows.

Tomatoes · Colorado · planting calendar

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeclast frostfirst frostSPRING PLANTING
Ideal windowEarliest / latest tailsFrost zone

Planting windows shift earlier in southern parts of the state and later in northern parts. Use last frost date in your specific county as the reference.

Planting windows

Earliest → ideal → latest.

Spring planting

Tomatoes

Earliest

May 17

Ideal start

May 24

Ideal end

June 14

Latest

July 5

Soil-temp trigger

Transplant after last frost when soil reaches 60°F. Garden centers typically have transplants 1-2 weeks before this window.

Harvest window

Typical start

July 23

Typical end

September 1

Harvest timing varies with planting date and seasonal weather — these dates are typical for the ideal planting window.

Growing notes

Tomatoes grows well in Colorado's typical climate. Colorado's 145-day growing season and 5b hardiness zone support reliable production with appropriate variety selection.

Tomatoes is widely grown in Colorado — commercially significant or common in home gardens and food plots.

Agronomy reference

Tomatoes fundamentals.

Soil-temp minimum

60°F

Soil-temp optimum

65–85°F

Days to maturity

60–100

Water (in/wk)

1–2"

Soil pH

6–6.8

Nitrogen demand

high

Days to maturity counted from transplant date, not from seed. Direct seeding is uncommon outside southernmost states.

Common pests to watch

  • Tomato hornworm
  • Aphids
  • Whiteflies

Pest pressure varies by region and year. Confirm current outbreaks with Colorado State University Extension.

Common diseases

  • Early blight
  • Late blight
  • Septoria leaf spot

Resistance varieties shift each year. Check the current variety trial report for your state.

Variety selection

Tomatoes varieties for Colorado live with your extension.

Variety selection

Variety performance is micro-regional and changes with each year's trial cycle. We don't republish variety lists — instead, we point directly at the source.

Colorado State University Extension

Search the extension site for “tomatoes variety trial” or “recommended tomatoes varieties” to find the current report.

Yield varies significantly by variety, soil, fertility, and management. Consult your state extension service for variety performance trials in your region.

Tomatoes timing. Live alerts.

Bield Farm ties weather and soil-temperature stations in your county to crop planting thresholds — get notified the day soil temp clears your target window.

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