When to plant tomatoes in Peoria: 2 May – 11 July

In Peoria, tomato: sow for seedlings from 18 February to 20 May; plant into a greenhouse from 11 April to 11 July; plant out into open ground from 2 May to 11 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Bottom Line Solutions (garden centre, 12 km) and Ron's Produce (farm shop, 15 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Peoria: soil, season and weather

In Peoria the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 19 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 2 May, 13 days later.

Last spring frost	19 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	2 May, 13 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	11 April – 11 July; April outside: 5.9 °C at night, 16.7 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	31 October, 182 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	11 July – 19 September
Days left for picking	112
Daylight	11:43 on 11 March, 13:58 on 2 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, September, has 7 rainy days

Tomato in Peoria: care after planting

Planted on 2 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

2 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
30 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 Peoria during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in June (28.5 °C), July (29.3 °C) and August (28.3 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in May (12.5 °C) and October (9.6 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	23	12.5	123	12	14:26
June	28.5	18.3	90	11	15:04
July	29.3	20.1	94	12	14:49
August	28.3	19.1	82	10	13:49
September	25.9	16.4	57	7	12:31
October	18.6	9.6	97	10	11:11

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Peoria, St. Louis is 14 days earlier and Rockford 11 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Springfield	99 km	26 April – 12 July	6 days earlier
Davenport	129 km	2 May – 10 July	same day
Rockford	180 km	13 May – 8 July	11 days later
Chicago	211 km	9 May – 17 July	7 days later
Cedar Rapids	224 km	11 May – 5 July	9 days later
St. Louis	235 km	18 April – 15 July	14 days earlier

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Peoria

Buy plants ready to set out from 2 May to 11 July (from 11 April to 11 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 18 February to 20 May. Within 15 km of Peoria OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 1 market and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Bottom Line Solutions — garden centre
Cooper Road 25356, 61550 Morton · 12 km · enduraplas.com
Peoria Farmer's Market at Metro Centre — market
Mon–Sat 08:00–12:00; Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr closed · 6 km · shopmetrocentre.com
Ron's Produce — farm shop
North Radnor Road 10213, Peoria · 15 km
Level Up Seed and Garden Supply — garden centre
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.

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