When to plant tomatoes in Lincoln: 23 April – 8 July

In Lincoln, tomato: sow for seedlings from 9 February to 17 May; plant into a greenhouse from 2 April to 8 July; plant out into open ground from 23 April to 8 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Campbell's Nursery & Garden Center (garden centre, 3 km) and Earl May Garden & Nursery (garden centre, 4 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Lincoln: soil, season and weather

In Lincoln frost, not soil, sets the date: the top 7 cm of soil warms to 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — around 23 April, 7 days after the last frost on 16 April, so planting waits only for the week after that frost.

Last spring frost	16 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	23 April, 7 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	2 April – 8 July; April outside: 5.8 °C at night, 18.3 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	28 October, 188 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	2 July – 16 September
Days left for picking	118
Daylight	11:18 on 2 March, 13:37 on 23 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, April, has 8 rainy days

Tomato in Lincoln: care after planting

Planted on 23 April: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

23 April — feed: balanced (NPK)
21 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 Lincoln during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in June–September (27.3–31.2 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in April (5.8 °C), May (12.2 °C) and October (8.5 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	18.3	5.8	56	8	13:17
May	23.5	12.2	128	13	14:26
June	30.6	19	101	10	15:05
July	31.2	20.8	76	8	14:50
August	29.9	19.5	74	9	13:50
September	27.3	16.6	59	7	12:31
October	19.3	8.5	67	7	11:10

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Lincoln, Topeka is 7 days earlier and Sioux Falls 18 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Omaha	79 km	26 April – 6 July	3 days later
Grand Island	143 km	30 April – 7 July	7 days later
Topeka	215 km	16 April – 9 July	7 days earlier
Kansas City	261 km	18 April – 12 July	5 days earlier
Des Moines	271 km	30 April – 7 July	7 days later
Sioux Falls	304 km	11 May – 1 July	18 days later

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Lincoln

Buy plants ready to set out from 23 April to 8 July (from 2 April to 8 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 9 February to 17 May. Within 15 km of Lincoln OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 7 plant nurseries and 1 market (collected 28 October 2026).

Earl May Garden & Nursery — garden centre
Wedgewood Drive 100, 68510 Lincoln · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00; Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun 11:00–17:00 · 4 km · earlmay.com
Campbell's Nursery & Garden Center — garden centre
South 40th Street 2342, 68506 Lincoln · 3 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
North 27th Street 4700, 68504 · 5 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
North 85th Street 3400, 68507 Lincoln · 7 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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