When to plant tomatoes in Dayton: 4 May – 20 July

In Dayton, tomato: sow for seedlings from 20 February to 29 May; plant into a greenhouse from 13 April to 20 July; plant out into open ground from 4 May to 20 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Mission of Mary Roadside Market (farm shop, 2 km) and Gardening Haven (garden centre, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Dayton: soil, season and weather

In Dayton the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 17 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 4 May, 17 days later.

Last spring frost	17 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	4 May, 17 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	13 April – 20 July; April outside: 6.2 °C at night, 17.2 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	9 November, 189 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	13 July – 28 September
Days left for picking	119
Daylight	11:49 on 13 March, 13:59 on 4 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, September, has 8 rainy days

Tomato in Dayton: care after planting

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

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

4 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
1 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 Dayton during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in June (27.6 °C), July (29.3 °C) and August (28.1 °C). Months that stay below 16 °C even by day on average: November (11.2 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in May and September–November (2.5–15.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	22.6	12.4	125	16	14:21
June	27.6	17.3	102	12	14:58
July	29.3	19.7	104	14	14:44
August	28.1	18.5	84	11	13:46
September	26	15.7	74	8	12:30
October	19.3	9.6	77	9	11:12
November	11.2	2.5	75	8	10:01

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Dayton, Cincinnati is 12 days earlier and Fort Wayne 5 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Cincinnati	75 km	22 April – 20 July	12 days earlier
Columbus	104 km	4 May – 13 July	same day
Fort Wayne	167 km	9 May – 13 July	5 days later
Indianapolis	168 km	4 May – 17 July	same day
Frankfort	183 km	22 April – 14 July	12 days earlier
Lexington	198 km	28 April – 18 July	6 days earlier

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Dayton

Buy plants ready to set out from 4 May to 20 July (from 13 April to 20 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 20 February to 29 May. Within 15 km of Dayton OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 1 market and 2 farm shops (collected 29 October 2026).

Gardening Haven — garden centre
Woodman Drive 465, 45431 Dayton · Mon–Sat 10:00–19:00 · 6 km · gardeninghaven.com
Siebenthaler's — garden centre
beaver valley rd 2074, 45434 Beavercreek · Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun 11:00–17:00 · 15 km · share.google
Mission of Mary Roadside Market — farm shop
Xenia Avenue, 45410 Dayton · Jun–Oct Fri 10:00–13:00 · 2 km
Rural king — farm shop
Old Troy Pike, 45424 · 12 km

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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