When to plant tomatoes in Charleston: 11 February – 30 August

In Charleston, tomato: sow for seedlings from 30 November to 9 July; plant into a greenhouse from 21 January to 30 August; plant out into open ground from 11 February to 30 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Roots and Shoots Nursery (garden centre, 8 km) and SiteOne Landscape Supply (garden centre, 12 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Charleston: soil, season and weather

In Charleston frost, not soil, sets the date: the top 7 cm of soil warms to 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — around 11 February, 7 days after the last frost on 4 February, so planting waits only for the week after that frost.

Last spring frost	4 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	11 February, 7 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	21 January – 30 August; January outside: 6.3 °C at night, 14.6 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	20 December, 312 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	22 April – 8 November
Days left for picking	242
Daylight	9:59 on 21 December, 10:54 on 11 February
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

Tomato in Charleston: care after planting

Planted on 11 February: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

11 February — feed: balanced (NPK)
11 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 Charleston during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in June–September (28.3–31 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in February–April and November, December (8.4–15 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
February	17.8	9.4	80	9	11:01
March	20.1	11.6	80	8	11:56
April	23.4	15	99	7	12:58
May	27	19.4	107	12	13:50
June	29.5	22.8	146	16	14:18
July	31	24.7	153	20	14:07
August	29.9	24.1	201	20	13:23
September	28.3	21.7	155	13	12:24
October	24.7	17	87	7	11:24
November	19.9	11.4	76	8	10:29
December	16.5	8.4	121	9	10:00

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Charleston, Jacksonville is 12 days earlier and Charlotte 43 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Savannah	135 km	17 February – 3 September	6 days later
Columbia	170 km	16 March – 9 August	33 days later
Wilmington	247 km	15 March – 11 August	32 days later
Charlotte	285 km	26 March – 24 July	43 days later
Jacksonville	318 km	30 January – 6 September	12 days earlier
Greenville	326 km	26 March – 2 August	43 days later

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Charleston

Buy plants ready to set out from 11 February to 30 August (from 21 January to 30 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 30 November to 9 July. Within 15 km of Charleston OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 5 markets and 3 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Roots and Shoots Nursery — garden centre
Wappoo Road 1108, 29407 Charleston · Mon–Fri 09:00–17:30; Sat–Sun 09:00–16:00 · 8 km · rootsandshootsnursery.com
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
W ASHLEY CIR 3951, 29414-9156 Charleston · 24/7 · 15 km · walmart.com
SiteOne Landscape Supply — garden centre
Marina Drive 637, 29492 Charleston · 12 km
Charleston City Market — market
Meeting Street 188, 29401 Charleston · Mon–Sun 09:30–17:30 · 0 km · thecharlestoncitymarket.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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