When to plant tomatoes in Bellinzona: 28 May – 26 July

In Bellinzona, tomato: sow for seedlings from 16 March to 4 June; plant into a greenhouse from 7 May to 26 July; plant out into open ground from 28 May to 26 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Agriturismo Alpe Zalto (farm shop, 10 km) and Azienda agricola monti di Condra (farm shop, 13 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Bellinzona: soil, season and weather

In Bellinzona the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 7 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 28 May, 51 days later.

Last spring frost	7 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	28 May, 51 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	7 May – 26 July; May outside: 9.2 °C at night, 18.5 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	15 November, 171 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	6 August – 4 October
Days left for picking	101
Daylight	13:03 on 6 April, 15:24 on 28 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, July, has 13 rainy days

Tomato in Bellinzona: care after planting

Planted on 28 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

28 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
25 June — 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 Bellinzona during the tomato season

No month of the season averages above the tomato card's 16–27 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 26.2 °C. Months that stay below 16 °C even by day on average: November (10.8 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in every month of the season, from 2.6 °C to 15.9 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	18.5	9.2	182	17	14:57
June	23.7	13.9	187	15	15:45
July	26.2	15.9	128	13	15:26
August	26.2	15.9	184	12	14:12
September	20.9	11.9	153	12	12:36
October	16.7	7.8	221	12	10:59
November	10.8	2.6	134	12	9:28

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Bellinzona, Milan is 43 days earlier and Locarno 42 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Locarno	17 km	9 July – 14 July	42 days later
Lugano	22 km	28 April – 15 August	30 days earlier
Como	43 km	30 April – 3 August	28 days earlier
Bergamo	74 km	11 May – 29 July	17 days earlier
Milan	82 km	15 April – 10 August	43 days earlier
Novara	88 km	18 April – 2 August	40 days earlier

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Bellinzona

Buy plants ready to set out from 28 May to 26 July (from 7 May to 26 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 16 March to 4 June. Within 15 km of Bellinzona OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 plant nursery and 7 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Azienda Agricola Gianella — farm shop
Via Campagna 10, 6556 Leggia · Mon closed; Tue closed; Wed–Sun 09:30–24:00 · 14 km · aziendaagricolagianella.ch
Emporio La Stala — farm shop
Via Cantonale 2, 6805 Mezzovico · 24/7 · 14 km · lastala.ch
Agriturismo Alpe Zalto — farm shop
Alpe Zalto, 6950 · "Periodo di apertura: Da metà maggio a fine agosto. Settembre e ottobre su riservazione." · 10 km · agriturismo.ch
Azienda agricola monti di Condra — farm shop
Mon–Sun 08:00–12:00, 13:00–18:00 · 13 km · luganoregion.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.

Questions