When to plant tomatoes in Hawaii
Hawaii is essentially frost-free (USDA zones 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 13a), so tomato timing there is set by heat and daylength rather than frost. As a warm-season crop, the main risk is mid-summer heat — spring and late-summer plantings usually do best.
Hawaii covers a wide range of climates, so your exact frost dates may differ from the state average by two weeks or more. For dates tuned to your town, use the calendar generator.
When to plant tomatoes in Hawaii: the short answer
For a spring planting, plant out Feb 1 – Feb 18, with seeds started indoors Dec 7 – Dec 21. Wait until the soil is at least 50°F and frost is over.
Your area is essentially frost-free, so planting dates are set by heat and daylength rather than frost. Treat the ranges below as broad season guides.
Warm-season crop: in a frost-free area the main risk is mid-summer heat; spring and late-summer plantings usually do best.
Windows are ~1–2 week bands around each date. Frost dates are a statewide average from NOAA/NCEI normals; your town may differ by two weeks or more. Calendar year 2026.
How to grow tomatoes in Hawaii, step by step
- Start seeds indoors (Dec 7 – Dec 21). Sow seeds ¼ inch deep in seed-starting mix under bright light. They take 5-10 days to sprout, fastest in soil around 80°F. Harden seedlings off for a week before they go outside.
- Prepare the bed. They need at least six to eight hours of direct sun a day and loose soil at least 18 inches deep, with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5. Dig in compost before planting.
- Plant out (Feb 1 – Feb 18). Space plants about 24 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart. It is killed by frost, so nothing goes outside until the danger has passed.
- Water and feed. Give it steady, even moisture, about an inch of water a week from rain or the hose.
- Watch for pests and problems. Pests: tomato hornworm, aphids, whitefly, flea beetle. Diseases and disorders: early blight, late blight, septoria leaf spot, fusarium wilt, blossom-end rot (calcium disorder).
- Harvest (from about Apr 9 – May 4). Tomato takes 60-85 days to reach harvest. Days to maturity counted from transplant. Bury 2/3 of the stem at transplanting for extra roots. Determinate types suit containers and one big harvest; indeterminate types need staking and produce until frost.
Figures come from our crop data; dates use Hawaii’s average frost dates. More in the full tomato growing guide.