Two crops, different risk
Choose the season and your part of Georgia
The planting chart gives exact Middle Georgia dates. The other regional dates remain relative shifts because UGA does not publish one tomato date for every county.
Main Middle Georgia crop
March 25 – May 1
Set out healthy transplants only after the last killing frost.Later Middle Georgia crop
June 1 – August 10
July 20 is the safer planning cutoff in UGA’s general calendar; later dates leave less time before frost.North Georgia
Spring usually starts 1–3 weeks later than the Middle Georgia baseline; fall timing closes about 2 weeks earlier.
Your last killing frost and expected first fall frost matter more than a copied state date.Middle Georgia
March 25–May 1, then June 1–August 10 in the planting chart.
UGA’s general calendar uses July 20 as the safer mature-before-frost cutoff for the later crop.South Georgia
Spring may begin 2–3 weeks earlier. UGA’s tomato guide says some southern areas can produce a second crop from a late-July planting.
Heat, disease pressure and the first fall frost still limit how useful a later transplant will be.If you are starting from seed
Build the indoor date from the transplant date
Choose the outdoor date
Start with your regional window and a date after the last killing frost.
Count back 4–7 weeks
That is UGA’s tomato-specific indoor seed-starting range. A purchased transplant skips this step.
Harden off for about a week
Increase outdoor light exposure gradually before the transplant goes into the garden.
Before the transplant goes out
Check frost, plant quality and light
A window opens the decision. These conditions decide whether this particular transplant is ready.
- The last killing frost has passed, unless you can provide reliable frost protection.
- The transplant is healthy, sturdy and has been hardened off.
- The planting spot gets at least 8 hours of sun and drains well.
- A later crop still has enough time before your local first frost.
Transplant setup
Put a ready tomato plant into the garden
Use a healthy transplant
Reject weak or damaged plants. If you raised the plant indoors, finish hardening it off first.
Plant deep
Set the stem down to the first true leaves so it can form a stronger root system.
Leave working room
For staked or trellised plants, UGA recommends 24 inches between plants and 4–6 feet between rows.
The summer-date conflict
August 10 is published, but July 20 leaves more margin
UGA’s current planting chart and general calendar do not use the same late cutoff. Keeping both visible is more useful than pretending the discrepancy does not exist.
Before the spring window
Frost still decides
Wait for the last killing frost or provide protection. A calendar date alone does not make a tender transplant safe.June through July 20
Best-supported later-crop period
This sits inside the planting chart and respects the more conservative July 20 mature-before-frost guidance.July 21 – August 10
Published, but lower-margin
The planting chart remains open, while the general calendar has already passed its safer cutoff. Confirm the variety and local frost outlook before planting.After August 10