When to plant tomatoes in Cincinnati: 22 April – 20 July

In Cincinnati, tomato: sow for seedlings from 8 February to 29 May; plant into a greenhouse from 1 April to 20 July; plant out into open ground from 22 April to 20 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Gardens at the Village Green (garden centre, 4 km) and A J Rahn Greenhouses (garden centre, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Cincinnati: soil, season and weather

In Cincinnati the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 11 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 22 April, 11 days later.

Last spring frost	11 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	22 April, 11 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	1 April – 20 July; April outside: 7 °C at night, 18.1 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	9 November, 201 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	1 July – 28 September
Days left for picking	131
Daylight	11:18 on 1 March, 13:29 on 22 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, September, has 7 rainy days

Tomato in Cincinnati: care after planting

Planted on 22 April: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

22 April — feed: balanced (NPK)
20 May — 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 Cincinnati during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in June (28.3 °C), July (30.1 °C) and August (28.9 °C). Months that stay below 16 °C even by day on average: November (12 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in April, May and October, November (3–13 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	18.1	7	119	13	13:12
May	23.3	13	125	15	14:18
June	28.3	17.8	99	12	14:54
July	30.1	20.2	109	13	14:40
August	28.9	19.1	83	12	13:44
September	26.6	16.4	75	7	12:29
October	20.1	10.1	76	10	11:14
November	12	3	76	9	10:04

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Cincinnati, Louisville is 6 days earlier and Dayton 12 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Dayton	75 km	4 May – 20 July	12 days later
Frankfort	108 km	22 April – 14 July	same day
Lexington	127 km	28 April – 18 July	6 days later
Louisville	146 km	16 April – 22 July	6 days earlier
Indianapolis	159 km	4 May – 17 July	12 days later
Columbus	159 km	4 May – 13 July	12 days later

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Cincinnati

Buy plants ready to set out from 22 April to 20 July (from 1 April to 20 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 8 February to 29 May. Within 15 km of Cincinnati OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres, 6 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

A J Rahn Greenhouses — garden centre
Gray Road 4944, 45232 · Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun 10:00–14:00 · 6 km · ajrahn.com
Gardens at the Village Green — garden centre
Knowlton Street 1415, 45223 Cincinnati · 4 km · villagegreenfoundation.org
Burger Farm and Garden Center — garden centre
Main Street 7849, 45244 Newtown · 15 km · burgerfarms.com
Keystone Flora — garden centre
Wooden Shoe Lane 5045, 45232 Cincinnati · 6 km · keystoneflora.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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