State × crop calendar

Tomatoes planting in Florida.

  • Primary crop
  • Zone 9b
  • 305-day season
  • Last frost February 15
  • Vegetable
  • Frost Sensitive

Tomatoes planting in Florida is shaped by the state's 9b dominant hardiness zone, last frost date around February 15, and a 305-day growing season. Tomatoes is widely grown in Florida — 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 University of Florida IFAS Extension for variety- and county-specific guidance.

Planting calendar — 2026

Frost-anchored windows.

Tomatoes · Florida · 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

February 22

Ideal start

February 29

Ideal end

March 21

Latest

April 11

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

April 29

Typical end

June 8

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

Growing notes

Tomatoes grows well in Florida's typical climate. Florida's 305-day growing season and 9b hardiness zone support reliable production with appropriate variety selection.

Tomatoes is widely grown in Florida — 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 University of Florida IFAS 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 Florida 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.

University of Florida IFAS 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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