When to plant tomatoes in Raleigh: 26 March – 30 July

In Raleigh, tomato: sow for seedlings from 12 January to 8 June; plant into a greenhouse from 5 March to 30 July; plant out into open ground from 26 March to 30 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Logans Garden Shop (garden centre, 2 km) and Fifth Season Gardening Co (garden centre, 8 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Raleigh: soil, season and weather

In Raleigh the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 13 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 26 March, 13 days later.

Last spring frost	13 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	26 March, 13 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	5 March – 30 July; March outside: 6.7 °C at night, 17.7 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	19 November, 238 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	4 June – 8 October
Days left for picking	168
Daylight	10:28 on 2 February, 12:20 on 26 March
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, October, has 7 rainy days

Tomato in Raleigh: care after planting

Planted on 26 March: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

26 March — feed: balanced (NPK)
23 April — 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 Raleigh during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in June–September (27.6–32 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in March–May and October, November (6.7–15.8 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
March	17.7	6.7	97	11	11:55
April	22.4	10.9	97	9	13:05
May	26.1	15.8	124	12	14:03
June	30	19.7	111	13	14:34
July	32	22.3	136	16	14:22
August	30.2	21.2	137	15	13:32
September	27.6	18.4	156	12	12:26
October	22.4	12.8	77	7	11:19
November	16.6	6.7	83	7	10:18

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Raleigh, Charleston is 43 days earlier and Richmond 12 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Greensboro	109 km	30 March – 24 July	4 days later
Wilmington	186 km	15 March – 11 August	11 days earlier
Charlotte	208 km	26 March – 24 July	same day
Richmond	224 km	7 April – 27 July	12 days later
Columbia	294 km	16 March – 9 August	10 days earlier
Charleston	353 km	11 February – 30 August	43 days earlier

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Raleigh

Buy plants ready to set out from 26 March to 30 July (from 5 March to 30 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 12 January to 8 June. Within 15 km of Raleigh OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 1 plant nursery, 4 markets and 6 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Logans Garden Shop — garden centre
Farmers Market Drive 1208, 27603 Raleigh · Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00 · 2 km · logantrd.com
Family Home & Garden — garden centre
Corporate Center Drive 550, 27607 Raleigh · Mon–Sat 07:30–17:00 · 9 km · familyhomeandgarden.com
Fairview Garden Center — garden centre
Holly Springs Road 8224, 27606 Raleigh · Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun 13:00–17:00 · 13 km · fairviewgardencenter.com
Fifth Season Gardening Co — garden centre
Hillsborough Street 5619, 27606 Raleigh · 8 km · fifthseasongardening.com

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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