When to plant tomatoes in Baton Rouge: 13 February – 19 August

In Baton Rouge, tomato: sow for seedlings from 2 December to 28 June; plant into a greenhouse from 23 January to 19 August; plant out into open ground from 13 February to 19 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 5 km) and Clegg's Nursery (garden centre, 13 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Baton Rouge: soil, season and weather

In Baton Rouge frost, not soil, sets the date: the top 7 cm of soil warms to 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — around 1 February, 5 days before the last frost on 6 February, so planting waits only for the week after that frost.

Last spring frost	6 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	1 February, 5 days before the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	23 January – 19 August; January outside: 6.7 °C at night, 16.5 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	9 December, 299 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	24 April – 28 October
Days left for picking	229
Daylight	10:11 on 23 December, 11:03 on 13 February
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, October, has 8 rainy days

Tomato in Baton Rouge: care after planting

Planted on 13 February: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

13 February — feed: balanced (NPK)
13 March — feed: nitrogen

Pests and diseases of tomato to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Weather in Baton Rouge during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in May–October (27.4–32.5 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in February–April and November, December (9.3–15.5 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
February	20	10.1	108	11	11:07
March	22.9	13.1	129	12	11:57
April	25.4	15.5	132	11	12:54
May	29.4	19.9	147	12	13:41
June	31.8	23.2	141	16	14:06
July	32.5	24.4	166	20	13:56
August	32.5	24.3	203	18	13:16
September	30.9	22.2	113	12	12:23
October	27.4	17.5	81	8	11:28
November	21.8	11.8	88	9	10:38
December	18.6	9.3	136	12	10:12

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Baton Rouge, New Orleans is 15 days earlier and Jackson 18 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Lafayette	85 km	26 February – 16 August	13 days later
New Orleans	119 km	29 January – 25 August	15 days earlier
Gulfport	201 km	14 February – 4 August	1 day later
Jackson	227 km	3 March – 8 August	18 days later
Mobile	296 km	31 January – 25 August	13 days earlier
Shreveport	334 km	27 February – 19 August	14 days later

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Baton Rouge

Buy plants ready to set out from 13 February to 19 August (from 23 January to 19 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 2 December to 28 June. Within 15 km of Baton Rouge OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 2 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

Clegg's Nursery — garden centre
Siegen Lane 5696, 70809 Baton Rouge · 13 km · cleggsnursery.com
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
College Drive 3132, 70808 Baton Rouge · Sun–Sat 07:00–20:30 · 5 km
Louisiana Nursery — garden centre
Coursey Boulevard 13121, 70817 Baton Rouge · 15 km
Dominique's Livestock Market — market
Airline Highway 1462, 70805 Baton Rouge · Mon 12:00–14:00 · 6 km · dominiqueslivestock.com

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

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