When to plant tomato in Tampa

Where are you growing?

Not realistic outdoors

Not realistic in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Tomato in Tampa is a good fit under fleece. The suitable growing window of 365 days covers the 55–90 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: August 2 – September 26
Transplant outside: October 1 – November 25
Harvest: November 25 – February 23
Season vs crop: 365 grow days vs 55–90 needed

Tomato in Tampa is a good fit under fleece. The suitable growing window of 365 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.

Suitable growing days in a row365

Days to harvest55–90 days from transplant

Aug 2 – Sep 26

Start indoors

Sep 24 – Sep 30

Harden off

October 1

Transplant outside

Oct 2 – Nov 24

Grow outdoors

Nov 25 – Feb 23

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Aug 2 – Sep 26	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Harden off	Sep 24 – Sep 30	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	October 1	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	Oct 2 – Nov 24	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Nov 25 – Feb 23	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

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 (70 – 84 °F) and tolerable (55 – 95 °F) 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

Frost-free days365

Earliest indoor seed startAugust 2

Latest indoor seed startSeptember 26

Transplant outdoorsOctober 1 – November 25

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowJanuary 1 – December 31 (365 days)

Expected harvestNovember 25 – February 23

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions: Daytime air from 70 – 84 °F.
Suitable conditions: Daytime air from 55 – 95 °F.
Last frost and first frost: Typical spring and fall frost dates for Tampa, 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: Oct 1 – Nov 25 (56 days)

Usually too cold: Jan 5 – Feb 1; Dec 21 – Dec 27

Outdoors: weekly temperatures and windows

Temperatures across the year for Tampa. 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 59 to 73 °F · Possible 46 to 80 °F

Growing: suitable

Planting: suitable

A week is in range when its average low and high sit inside the tolerance band 55 to 95 °F; it is suitable when that average range also overlaps the ideal 70 to 84 °F band and possible readings stay within 32 °F to 95 °F. Crossing a possible limit, or missing the ideal band, makes it tolerable; any chance of frost (possible low below 32 °F) 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 Tampa

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 27.95, -82.46, 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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