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When to plant tomato in Boston

How to grow TomatoBoston climate
Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Tight fit in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Tomato in Boston is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 124 days covers the 55–90 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors
March 24 – April 25
Transplant outside
May 23 – June 24
Harvest
July 17 – September 22
Season vs crop
124 grow days vs 55–90 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall)
April 25 – October 30

Tomato in Boston is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 124 days covers the 55–90 days this plant usually needs.

Planting conditions

Tomato planting activities across the year: Start indoors, Grow indoors, Harden off, Transplant outside, Grow outdoors, HarvestJFMAMJJASOND~Apr 25~Oct 30
  • Start indoors
  • Grow 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 row124
Days to harvest55–90 days from transplant
Mar 24 – Apr 25
Start indoors
Apr 26 – May 15
Grow indoors
May 16 – May 22
Harden off
May 23
Transplant outside
May 24 – Jul 16
Grow outdoors
Jul 17 – Sep 22
Harvest
ActivityWindowNotes
Start indoorsMar 24 – Apr 25Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Grow indoorsApr 26 – May 15Seedlings grow indoors until harden or transplant.
Harden offMay 16 – May 22Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outsideMay 23Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoorsMay 24 – Jul 16Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
HarvestJul 17 – Sep 22Expected 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.

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.

Tomato planting and growing weeks in BostonJANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDECPlantingGrowing
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 frostApril 25
Safer last spring frostApril 25
Typical first fall frostOctober 30
Safer first fall frostOctober 30
Frost-free days187
Earliest indoor seed startMarch 24
Latest indoor seed startApril 25
Transplant outdoorsMay 23 – June 24
Direct sow windownot recommended here
Suitable growing windowMay 23 – September 23 (124 days)
Expected harvestJuly 17 – September 22

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 Boston, 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: May 23 – Sep 23 (124 days)

Planting window for Tomato: May 23 – Jun 24 (33 days)

Usually too cold: Sep 28 – Dec 31

Outdoors: weekly temperatures and windows

Temperatures across the year for Boston. 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec−30 °C−22 °F−20 °C−4 °F−10 °C14 °F0 °C32 °F10 °C50 °F20 °C68 °F30 °C86 °F40 °C104 °FTolerable 13–35 °CTolerable 55–95 °FIdeal 21–29 °CIdeal 70–84 °FWindowGrowingMay 23 – Sep 23PlantingMay 23 – Jun 24Last frost ~Apr 25First frost ~Oct 30
  • 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 21 · May 18 – May 24

Average 52 to 68 °F · Possible 39 to 88 °F

Growing: too cold

Planting: too cold

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 Boston

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 42.40, -71.10, 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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