When to plant tomato in Edinburgh

Where are you growing?

Not realistic outdoors

Not realistic in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Tomato in Edinburgh is a good fit under fleece. The suitable growing window of 90 days covers the 55–90 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: March 29 – May 23
Transplant outside: May 28 – July 22
Harvest: July 22 – October 20
Season vs crop: 90 grow days vs 55–90 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): March 16 – December 30

Tomato in Edinburgh is a good fit under fleece. The suitable growing window of 90 days covers the 55–90 days this plant usually needs.

Estimate. Protection varies with the cover, the weather and how you vent it.

Fleece adds about 1–4 °C on frosty nights, depending on its weight. Remove it on warm days.

Fleece also cuts light: about 5–10 % for light fleece, up to 50–70 % for heavy grades. Take it off by day once frosts are over.

Cover dates are modelled from weather-model data using published greenhouse studies. They are not measured in your greenhouse. A max–min thermometer inside will tell you more.

Planting conditions

Start indoors
Harden off
Transplant outside
Grow outdoors
Harvest

Local activity windows for this place and growing method. Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost.

Suitable growing days in a row90

Days to harvest55–90 days from transplant

Mar 29 – May 23

Start indoors

May 21 – May 27

Harden off

May 28

Transplant outside

May 29 – Jul 21

Grow outdoors

Jul 22 – Oct 20

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Mar 29 – May 23	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Harden off	May 21 – May 27	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	May 28	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	May 29 – Jul 21	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Jul 22 – Oct 20	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost. Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Protected frost and sowing dates are modelled estimates from weather-model data and published greenhouse studies, not measured in your greenhouse. A max–min thermometer inside will tell you more.

Planting and growing across the year

Planting is the sow / plant-out window. Growing is daytime air versus this plant’s ideal (21 – 29 °C) and tolerable (13 – 35 °C) ranges, from modelled cover temperatures for the growing method you selected.

Planting uses sow / plant-out rules (frost, soil germination, night, and last-sow): green when plantable, blue diagonal when nights or soil are too cold, amber cross-hatch when too hot, faint for other calendar limits. Growing shows daytime air against this plant’s ideal and tolerable ranges across the year.

Key dates

Typical last spring frostMarch 16

Safer last spring frostMarch 16

Typical first fall frostDecember 30

Safer first fall frostDecember 30

Frost-free days288

Earliest indoor seed startMarch 29

Latest indoor seed startMay 23

Transplant outdoorsMay 28 – July 22

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowMay 28 – August 25 (90 days)

Expected harvestJuly 22 – October 20

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions: Daytime air from 21 – 29 °C.
Suitable conditions: Daytime air from 13 – 35 °C.
Last frost and first frost: Typical spring and fall frost dates for Edinburgh, shown in the key dates.
Days to harvest: 55–90 days from transplant, from typical days to harvest.
Sowing window: Dated sow and harvest bars use frost dates, soil minima, night limits, and last-sow count-back from typical crop timing. The year strip and weekly chart use the same window: air ratings only colour weeks inside it.

Growing window for Tomato: none (0 days)

Planting window for Tomato: Jun 16 – Jul 23 (38 days)

Outdoors: weekly temperatures and windows

Temperatures across the year for Edinburgh. Shaded bands are this plant’s ideal and tolerable daytime air ranges. Growing is daytime air suitability; Planting is sow / plant-out conditions (same colour language). Window brackets mark each stretch.

Ideal range
Tolerable range
Possible min to max
Average min to max
Suitable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 1 · Jan 1 – Jan 4

Average 2 to 6 °C · Possible −3 to 13 °C

Growing: too cold

Planting: too cold

A week is in range when its average low and high sit inside the tolerance band 13 to 35 °C; it is suitable when that average range also overlaps the ideal 21 to 29 °C band and possible readings stay within 0 °C to 35 °C. Crossing a possible limit, or missing the ideal band, makes it tolerable; any chance of frost (possible low below 0 °C) makes it too cold. When a sowing window is calculated, weeks outside that window are uncoloured even if air is in range.

Based on average frost dates.

Show all 53 weeks

Cover method weekly charts

Outdoor weekly chart is above. Open a cover chart only if you grow under fleece, a cold frame, or an unheated greenhouse.

Other plants for Edinburgh

Calculated by Plan & Plant · Method · Data 2019–2026

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics. Microclimates vary; they are not a guarantee.

How we calculated this

Data: ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo, cell 55.90, -3.10, years 2019–2026 (not a 30-year climate normal yet).
Typical and safer dates: Typical last frost is the date after which half of winters in this sample had no more frost; safer is later in the sample so fewer winters still frosted.
Crop rule: Local windows for Tomato from frost dates, temperature ratings, and crop timing rules.
Confidence: Provisional — short or thin sample for this place.
Full methodology (algorithm 2026-10-season-6).

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