When to plant tomatoes in Rockford: 13 May – 8 July

In Rockford, tomato: sow for seedlings from 1 March to 17 May; plant into a greenhouse from 22 April to 8 July; plant out into open ground from 13 May to 8 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Landscape Connection (garden centre, 7 km) and Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Rockford: soil, season and weather

In Rockford the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 26 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 13 May, 17 days later.

Last spring frost	26 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	13 May, 17 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	22 April – 8 July; April outside: 3.6 °C at night, 14.5 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	28 October, 168 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	22 July – 16 September
Days left for picking	98
Daylight	12:13 on 22 March, 14:30 on 13 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, August, has 11 rainy days

Tomato in Rockford: care after planting

Planted on 13 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

13 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
10 June — 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 Rockford during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in June (27.3 °C), July (28.4 °C) and August (27.5 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in May (10.2 °C), September (14.7 °C) and October (7.9 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	21.3	10.2	109	14	14:34
June	27.3	16.4	100	12	15:15
July	28.4	18.5	105	12	14:59
August	27.5	17.5	82	11	13:55
September	24.7	14.7	83	9	12:32
October	17.1	7.9	93	10	11:07

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Rockford, Davenport is 11 days earlier and Milwaukee 6 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Madison	94 km	16 May – 7 July	3 days later
Chicago	125 km	9 May – 17 July	4 days earlier
Milwaukee	128 km	19 May – 12 July	6 days later
Davenport	149 km	2 May – 10 July	11 days earlier
Peoria	180 km	2 May – 11 July	11 days earlier
Cedar Rapids	219 km	11 May – 5 July	2 days earlier

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Rockford

Buy plants ready to set out from 13 May to 8 July (from 22 April to 8 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 1 March to 17 May. Within 15 km of Rockford OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres (collected 28 October 2026).

Landscape Connection — garden centre
South Mulford Road 4472, 61109 Rockford · 7 km
Platt Hill Nursery — garden centre
East Riverside Boulevard 6101, 61114 Rockford · 8 km
Rockvalley Garden Center — garden centre
North Bell School Road, 61107 Rockford · 8 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
Mon–Sun 06:00–23:00 · 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.

Questions