When to sow Tomato in the UK
Across the UK the first sowing of tomato falls 11 weeks apart — mid January in the mildest areas, early April in the coldest. That gap is why a single national sowing date is wrong for almost everybody.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Timings below are adjusted from the midlands and lowland wales baseline using Met Office average last and first frost dates for each area.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late January to late February | mid April to early May | mid June to mid September |
| South Coast and Channel | late January to early March | late April to early May | mid June to mid September |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late January to late February | mid April to early May | mid June to mid September |
| South East and Home Counties | mid February to late March | early May to late May | early July to early October |
| East Anglia | late February to late March | mid May to late May | mid July to early October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late February to early April | late May to early June | mid July to mid October |
| Wales and West Coast | mid February to late March | early May to late May | early July to early October |
| Northern England | early March to mid April | late May to mid June | late July to late October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | mid March to mid April | early June to mid June | early August to late October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early April to early May | late June to mid July | late August to late November |
| Northern Ireland | late February to late March | mid May to late May | mid July to early October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | mid January to late February | mid April to late April | early June to early September |
About the earliest indoor dates
The indoor sowing dates shift with your local last frost, because that is what decides when the seedling can go outside. Under glass, though, the limiting factor is daylight rather than frost. In the mildest regions the table pulls this sowing back into midwinter, and a UK windowsill in January has neither the light nor the day length to raise a sturdy plant — you get pale, drawn seedlings that never catch up. Unless you are growing under supplementary lighting, treat mid February as the practical earliest sowing for tomato however mild your area.
Growing notes
Sow indoors late Feb-March for greenhouse crops or late March-April for outdoor plants; only plant out once night temperatures are reliably above 10°C, usually early June in most of the UK.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 45 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 60 cm
- Plants per m²
- 3
- Days to maturity
- 100 days
- Yield per plant
- 3.0 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- Frost tender
- Yes — do not plant out until after the last frost
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 30 cm
- Balcony rating
- 4 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- tomato blight
- blossom end rot
- fruit splitting
- whitefly
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for tomato.