When Is the Best Time for Planting Tomatoes Outside in Kansas?

Kansas tomato growers can plant tomatoes outside beginning in late April.

Although tomatoes are commonly grown in home vegetable gardens, American colonists believed the fruit was poisonous. Today tomatoes are eaten both raw and cooked and are a good low-calorie source of vitamin C.

General Planting Considerations

Tomatoes are warm-weather garden plants that should only be planted outdoors after any danger of frost has passed. If using seeds, they should be planted indoors six or seven weeks before your last-frost date. Production of tomatoes depends on both warm day- and night-time temperatures. If night-time temperatures are below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, blossoms may drop.

Last-Frost Date

Gardeners use their area's last-frost date as a guide for planting temperature-sensitive vegetables outdoors. Kansas tomato growers may already have April 21 marked on their calendars, as this is the last-frost date for areas around Kansas City, Topeka and Wichita. Larry Moore, however, wrote for television station KMBC's website that he waits until May 6, which is safely past the last-frost date, and finds that plants produce at the same time as those planted in mid-April.

Consideration

Because Kansas enjoys a fairly long growing season, with first-frost dates not until mid-October, tomato growers may want to stagger plant dates and set out a mix of fast-growing tomato varieties along with longer-maturing ones for an extended harvest period.

References

• National Gardening Association: Tomato Essentials
• Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden
• University of Illinois Extension Watch Your Garden Grow: Tomato
• KMBC: Tomato-Planting Tips
• The Old Farmer's Almanac: Frost Chart for United States
• Grow Garden Tomatoes: When to Plant Tomatoes