When to plant tomatoes in La Rioja: 7 August – 23 February

In La Rioja, tomato: sow for seedlings from 26 May to 2 January; plant into a greenhouse from 17 July to 23 February; plant out into open ground from 7 August to 23 February.

Tomato in La Rioja: soil, season and weather

In La Rioja the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 17 July, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 7 August, 21 days later.

Last spring frost	17 July
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	7 August, 21 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	17 July – 23 February; July outside: 6.5 °C at night, 17.6 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	14 June, 312 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	16 October – 3 May
Days left for picking	242
Daylight	10:16 on 16 June, 10:51 on 7 August
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, August, has 1 rainy day

Tomato in La Rioja: care after planting

Planted on 7 August: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

7 August — feed: balanced (NPK)
4 September — 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 La Rioja during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in October–March (29.6–34.7 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in April–June and August–October (7.1–15.8 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
August	22.3	8.7	4	1	11:03
September	26.7	12.3	9	1	11:53
October	29.6	15.8	39	4	12:46
November	33.2	19.6	39	5	13:35
December	34.4	21.5	77	7	14:01
January	34.7	22.7	130	9	13:49
February	32.8	21.8	74	9	13:07
March	30.1	19.6	76	7	12:18
April	25.4	15.6	44	6	11:24
May	20.6	11.1	22	4	10:40
June	17.2	7.1	8	2	10:16

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around La Rioja, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca is 14 days earlier and Mendoza 33 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca	148 km	24 July – 8 March	14 days earlier
San Juan	286 km	29 August – 28 February	22 days later
San Miguel de Tucumán	331 km	from 16 August	9 days later
Córdoba	341 km	31 August – 23 February	24 days later
Copiapó	408 km	9 August – 3 March	2 days later
Mendoza	430 km	9 September – 25 February	33 days later

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near La Rioja

Buy plants ready to set out from 7 August to 23 February (from 17 July to 23 February for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 26 May to 2 January. Within 15 km of La Rioja OpenStreetMap lists 2 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

El Gato Negro — market
Lamadrid 401, 5300 La Rioja · 1 km
Boot Mini market — market
1 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.

Questions