When to plant tomatoes in Tucson: 14 February – 28 August

In Tucson, tomato: sow for seedlings from 3 December to 7 July; plant into a greenhouse from 24 January to 28 August; plant out into open ground from 14 February to 28 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Casita Verde (garden centre, 4 km) and Drutopia (garden centre, 5 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Tucson: soil, season and weather

In Tucson the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 6 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 14 February, 8 days later.

Last spring frost	6 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	14 February, 8 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	24 January – 28 August; January outside: 4.5 °C at night, 17.9 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	18 December, 307 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	25 April – 6 November
Days left for picking	237
Daylight	10:02 on 24 December, 11:01 on 14 February
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, May, has 1 rainy day

Tomato in Tucson: care after planting

Planted on 14 February: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

14 February — feed: balanced (NPK)
14 March — 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 Tucson during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in April–October (29.4–38.5 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in February–April and October–December (6–15.9 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
February	20.9	6	29	5	11:02
March	24.3	8.9	22	4	11:57
April	29.4	13	5	1	12:57
May	33.1	17.2	3	1	13:48
June	38.5	23.2	10	1	14:15
July	38	25.7	59	8	14:04
August	36.9	24.6	46	7	13:21
September	35	21.8	53	6	12:24
October	30.7	15.9	28	3	11:25
November	24.4	10	23	3	10:31
December	19.6	6.3	35	4	10:03

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

Around Tucson, Phoenix is 3 days earlier and Flagstaff 87 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Phoenix	173 km	11 February – 8 September	3 days earlier
Flagstaff	335 km	12 May – 1 July	87 days later
Las Cruces	390 km	17 March – 4 August	31 days later
El Paso	422 km	7 March – 15 August	21 days later
Ciudad Juárez	430 km	7 March – 15 August	21 days later
Albuquerque	508 km	12 April – 20 July	57 days later

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Tucson

Buy plants ready to set out from 14 February to 28 August (from 24 January to 28 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 3 December to 7 July. Within 15 km of Tucson OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop and 5 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Loya's Courtyard — garden centre
North Oracle Road 2925, 85705 Tucson · 6 km · loyascourtyard.com
Casita Verde — garden centre
East Speedway Boulevard 4815, Tucson · 4 km · casitaverdetucson.com
Old Pueblo Cactus — garden centre
East Roger Road 1802, Tucson · 7 km
Drutopia — garden centre
Thu–Sun 10:00–17:30 · 5 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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