When to plant tomatoes in Gisborne: from 13 October

In Gisborne, tomato: sow for seedlings from 1 August; plant into a greenhouse from 22 September; plant out into open ground from 13 October. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window.

Tomato in Gisborne: soil, season and weather

In Gisborne the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 4 July, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 13 October, 101 days later. Gisborne has no autumn frost in the median year, so frost does not end the season.

Last spring frost	4 July
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	13 October, 101 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	from 22 September; September outside: 8.5 °C at night, 17.2 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	from 22 December
Daylight	10:51 on 22 August, 12:58 on 13 October
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, October, has 11 rainy days

Tomato in Gisborne: care after planting

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

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

13 October — feed: balanced (NPK)
10 November — 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 Gisborne during the tomato season

No month of the season averages above the tomato card's 16–27 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 24.6 °C. Nights average below 16 °C in March and October–January (10.4–15.8 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
October	19.5	10.4	78	11	13:03
November	21.8	12.9	96	12	14:13
December	23.9	14.9	107	12	14:51
January	24.6	15.8	82	12	14:34
February	24.6	16	109	9	13:33
March	22.4	14.2	96	12	12:23

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Gisborne, Napier is 2 days earlier and Rotorua 44 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Napier	133 km	from 11 October	2 days earlier
Rotorua	165 km	26 November – 3 February	44 days later
Tauranga	194 km	from 25 October	12 days later
Hamilton (New Zealand)	259 km	26 October – 23 February	13 days later
Palmerston North	280 km	29 October – 29 February	16 days later
Wellington	402 km	from 22 November	40 days later

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Gisborne

Buy plants ready to set out from 13 October (from 22 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 1 August. Within 15 km of Gisborne OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Touchstone — garden centre
1 km
Farmlands Gisborne — farm shop
1 km

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