When to plant tomatoes in Nelson: 11 November – 29 February

In Nelson, tomato: sow for seedlings from 30 August to 8 January; plant into a greenhouse from 21 October to 29 February; plant out into open ground from 11 November to 29 February. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include The Eyebright Wool Shop (farm supply, 12 km) and Enhance with Plants (garden centre, 13 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Nelson: soil, season and weather

In Nelson the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 4 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 11 November, 99 days later.

Last spring frost	4 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	11 November, 99 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	21 October – 29 February; October outside: 8.9 °C at night, 17 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	20 June, 222 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	20 January – 9 May
Days left for picking	152
Daylight	12:00 on 20 September, 14:17 on 11 November
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, January, has 9 rainy days

Tomato in Nelson: care after planting

Planted on 11 November: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

11 November — feed: balanced (NPK)
9 December — 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 Nelson during the tomato season

No month of the season averages above the tomato card's 16–27 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 22.8 °C. Months that stay below 16 °C even by day on average: May (15.6 °C) and June (13.4 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in every month of the season, from 6.2 °C to 14.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
November	19.2	11.1	109	13	14:26
December	21.4	13.2	101	11	15:08
January	22.8	14.4	84	9	14:49
February	22.3	14.1	94	7	13:41
March	20.7	12.6	88	9	12:25
April	18	10.2	96	9	11:00
May	15.6	8.3	127	10	9:51
June	13.4	6.2	110	11	9:13

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Nelson, Napier is 31 days earlier and Wellington 11 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Blenheim	63 km	30 October – 8 February	12 days earlier
Wellington	125 km	from 22 November	11 days later
Palmerston North	221 km	29 October – 29 February	13 days earlier
Christchurch	257 km	30 October – 13 February	12 days earlier
Napier	366 km	from 11 October	31 days earlier
Timaru	384 km	4 November – 12 February	7 days earlier

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Nelson

Buy plants ready to set out from 11 November to 29 February (from 21 October to 29 February for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 30 August to 8 January. Within 15 km of Nelson OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery and 2 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Enhance with Plants — garden centre
McShane Road 147 · 13 km · facebook.com
The Eyebright Wool Shop — farm supply
McShane Road 40 · Wed–Thu 09:00–05:00 · 12 km · eyebright.co.nz
Nelson Farmers Market — market
Halifax Street 23 · Wed 08:00–13:00 · 0 km · nelsonfarmersmarket.org.nz
The Nelson Market — market
Montgomery Square · Sat–Sun 08:00–13:00 · 0 km · nelsonmarket.co.nz

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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