Question: When should I plant my tomatoes?

Answer: This is where most folks fall down on the job. Spring tomatoes should be planted around the date of the last killing frost. Earlier plantings often get frozen, and later plantings run into the summer heat. You have a 2- or 3-week window in most of Texas. Fall plantings need to be timed back from the first expected frost. Allow 4-1/2 months from planting until the average first frost date. That means mid-June in the Panhandle, late June in North Texas, early July in Central Texas and late July in South Texas. The fall crop will be the better crop, so don’t miss the opportunity. Those fruit will ripen without all the traditional problems of the spring tomato planting.