How to Grow Tomatoes in Florida

Tomatoes are a cool-season crop in Florida, not a summer one. Plant at the right time and choose heat- and disease-tough varieties, and you will pick fruit for months.

The single biggest tomato mistake in Florida is planting in spring and expecting a summer harvest. By the time June arrives, heat, humidity and disease shut tomatoes down. In Florida you plant in late winter for a spring crop and again in late summer for a fall crop, and skip the summer entirely.

When to plant in Florida

Region	Transplant out	Notes
North Florida	Feb–Apr (spring), Aug (fall)	Wait until after the last frost in spring.
Central Florida	Jan–Feb (spring), Aug–Sep (fall)	The fall window is the most reliable.
South Florida	Aug–Feb	The whole cool dry season; summer is too hot and wet.

Start seed indoors about 6 weeks before transplanting, or buy transplants. See the live window for your region on the tomato page.

Varieties that handle Florida

Choose heat-setting and disease-resistant types. Look for the letters V, F, N and TSWV on the label (resistance to Verticillium, Fusarium, nematodes and tomato spotted wilt).

'Everglades' — a tiny currant tomato that shrugs off South Florida heat and humidity; nearly unkillable.
'Heat Wave II', 'Solar Fire', 'Florida 91' — bred to set fruit in heat.
'Better Boy', 'Celebrity', 'Bella Rosa' — reliable disease-resistant slicers.
'Sun Gold' and 'Sweet 100' — cherry types that keep producing when big slicers stall.

How to grow them

Sun and soil: full sun, and work plenty of compost into Florida's sandy beds. Tomatoes are heavy feeders.
Support: stake or cage at planting so you are not wrestling a sprawling plant later.
Water: deep and even. Swings between bone-dry and soaked cause blossom-end rot. Mulch to steady soil moisture.
Feed: a balanced fertilizer at planting, then side-dress as fruit sets. Too much nitrogen gives leaves, not tomatoes.

Pests and problems

Florida's main tomato pests are tomato hornworm, whitefly (which spreads Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus), stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs, plus root-knot nematodes in the soil. Diseases include early blight, bacterial spot, Fusarium and Verticillium wilt. Defend with resistant varieties, good airflow, morning watering at the roots (not the leaves), and crop rotation away from peppers, eggplant and potatoes.

Harvest

Most varieties ripen 60–85 days after transplanting. In the heat, pick at the "breaker" stage (first blush of color) and finish ripening indoors to beat cracking and pests.

Common questions

Can I grow tomatoes in summer in Florida?

Generally no. Heat above the low 90s stops fruit set and humidity invites disease. Grow heat-lovers like okra instead, and plant tomatoes again in August.

Why are my tomatoes flowering but not fruiting?

Usually heat. Tomatoes drop blossoms above about 90°F days / 75°F nights. Plant earlier or later, and pick heat-set varieties.

Source: UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103), Tomatoes; UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions.

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