February 28, 2026

When to Plant Tomatoes in Zone 7

Zone 7 runs through Virginia, North Carolina's piedmont, Tennessee, northern Georgia, parts of Oklahoma and Texas, and across New Mexico and Arizona at elevation. It's tomato country. The growing season is generous — 190 to 210 frost-free days — and summers bring the heat that tomatoes crave.

The challenge in zone 7 isn't a short season. It's the midsummer heat. Tomatoes stop setting fruit when daytime highs stay above 95°F and nighttime temps don't drop below 75°F. So your real goal is getting plants established early enough to produce heavily before the worst of July and August hits.

Zone 7 planting timeline

The two-wave harvest

This is something zone 7 gardeners figure out after a season or two: you get two production windows. The first wave runs from late June through mid-July, before extreme heat shuts down fruit set. Then as temperatures cool in September, the plants kick back into gear and produce until frost.

Knowing this changes your variety strategy. Plant a mix of: For more details, see our guide on When to plant tomatoes by zone.

• Early varieties (55-65 days): These produce before the heat wall. Early Girl, Juliet, and Fourth of July are solid picks.
• Heat-tolerant varieties: Solar Fire, Phoenix, and Heatmaster were bred specifically to set fruit in high temperatures. They'll produce through the gap when other varieties stall.
• Main season (70-85 days): Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, Better Boy. These give you the big, flavorful slicers through fall.

Seed starting

Zone 7 seed starting happens in the dead of winter — late January through mid-February. The setup is the same as anywhere: heat mat, grow lights, seed starting mix. The timing just shifts earlier. For more details, see our guide on When to Plant Tomatoes in Zone 5.

One thing that catches zone 7 gardeners off guard: February can have warm stretches that make you want to move seedlings outside. Don't. A 70°F day in February means nothing when it's 28°F the following week. Stick to the calendar.

Transplanting

Mid-April is the sweet spot for most of zone 7. Soil temperatures should be 60°F or above, and the risk of hard frost is past. Bury transplants deep — strip the lower leaves and plant up to the top cluster. Zone 7 soil warms fast in spring, and the deep planting encourages a massive root system that'll sustain the plant through summer heat.

Water well at planting and mulch immediately. Three to four inches of straw or shredded hardwood keeps soil moisture even and root temperatures lower during the inevitable 100°F days.

Beating the heat

When temps climb above 95°F, pollen becomes sterile and blossoms drop without setting fruit. You can't change the weather, but you can work with it:

• Shade cloth (30-40%): Drape over plants during the worst afternoon heat. This drops canopy temperature by 10-15 degrees.
• Deep watering: Water at the base in early morning, never overhead. Consistent moisture prevents blossom end rot.
• Keep the mulch thick: Bare soil in zone 7 summer can reach 140°F at the surface. Mulch is non-negotiable.
• Don't prune aggressively: Leaf canopy shades fruit and prevents sunscald. Let plants get bushy.

Best varieties for zone 7

Fall planting option

One advantage zone 7 has over colder zones: you can plant a second round of tomatoes in June for fall harvest. Start seeds indoors in late May, transplant early July, and harvest through October and into November. This works best with determinate varieties that'll ripen before frost.

For exact dates tailored to your zip code, run the planting calendar tool. And if you're comparing across zones, the full zone guide lays it all out side by side.