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When to Plant Tomatoes in Alabama

Tomatoes are summer people. They want warm soil, warm nights, and a steady sun. In Alabama, that means we win big—if we time it right. Plant too early and a late cold snap will stunt them. Plant too late and the heat and disease pressure hit before the plants get rolling.

Here’s a simple Alabama-tuned plan that works.

Planting Dates by Region

North Alabama (Huntsville, Florence, etc.)

  • Start seeds indoors: late February to early March
  • Transplant outdoors: mid-April to early May (after last frost)

Central Alabama (Birmingham, Montgomery, etc.)

  • Start seeds indoors: early February
  • Transplant outdoors: early to mid-April

South Alabama (Mobile, Dothan, etc.)

  • Start seeds indoors: late January to early February
  • Transplant outdoors: mid to late March

Fall tomatoes (the “second chance” crop)

Yes, we can do fall tomatoes in Alabama. It takes planning.

  • Start seeds: June
  • Transplant: July
  • Harvest: late summer into fall

Fall tomatoes can be great because nights cool down and disease pressure can ease—but July transplants need shade and steady water or they’ll sulk.

How to Grow Tomatoes in Alabama

1. Choose the Right Variety

Alabama tomatoes don’t just fight heat. They fight humidity and disease. So we stack the deck with varieties that hold up.

Good picks:

  • Celebrity (determinate, dependable, disease resistance)
  • Better Boy (indeterminate, big harvest, classic slicer)
  • Roma (paste type, great for sauce)
  • Cherokee Purple (heirloom flavor, but give it extra airflow)

If you want the easiest season, pick at least one variety with strong disease resistance. Heirlooms are delicious, but they are like sports cars—fun, but more maintenance.

2. Start Seeds or Buy Transplants

If you start seeds:

  • Start 6–8 weeks before your transplant date
  • Keep germination warm: 70–80°F (heat mat helps)
  • Give seedlings strong light so they don’t stretch and flop

Harden off seedlings for 7–10 days before planting out:

  • A little sun at first
  • A little wind
  • A little more each day
    This toughens them up so transplant shock doesn’t set them back.

Buying transplants is fine, too. Just don’t buy tall, skinny, stressed plants. You want stocky, dark green, and sturdy.

3. Pick the Right Spot

Tomatoes are sun hogs.

  • 6–8 hours of full sun minimum
  • Well-drained soil (tomatoes hate wet feet)
  • pH around 6.0–6.8

In Alabama, airflow matters too. A breezy spot helps reduce leaf disease. Think “open,” not “crowded corner behind the shed.”

4. Soil Prep and Planting

Tomatoes love rich soil, but not sloppy soil.

Before planting:

  • Mix in compost or well-rotted manure
  • If you don’t know your pH, a soil test is worth it
    (Then add lime only if needed.)

Plant deep. This is the tomato secret that feels like a magic trick:

  • Bury 2/3 of the plant
  • Strip off lower leaves and bury part of the stem
    That buried stem grows roots, and more roots = stronger plant.

Spacing:

  • Determinate: 18–24 inches apart
  • Indeterminate: 24–36 inches apart, and plan for cages or stakes

Crowding tomatoes in Alabama is like inviting blight to dinner. Give them room.

5. Watering and Mulching

Watering is where most tomato trouble starts.

  • Aim for 1–1.5 inches per week
  • Water deeply, less often (not a daily sprinkle)
  • Water at the base, not overhead

Overhead watering + humidity = leaf disease.

Mulch is your best friend here:

  • Pine straw, shredded leaves, or clean straw/hay
  • Helps keep soil moisture even
  • Reduces weeds
  • Prevents soil splash (which spreads disease)

6. Feeding Without Overfeeding

Tomatoes need food—but too much nitrogen makes big leafy plants with few tomatoes.

A simple feeding plan:

  • At planting: balanced fertilizer (like 10-10-10)
  • When fruit sets: a boost that supports fruiting

For blossom-end rot prevention, calcium matters—but the bigger issue is usually uneven watering. Calcium nitrate can help, but steady moisture is the real fix.

Avoid heavy nitrogen once plants start flowering. If your tomatoes look like a green jungle and you’re not getting fruit, that’s the reason.

7. Support and Maintenance

In Alabama, support isn’t optional. It’s survival.

  • Cage, stake, or trellis all indeterminate types
  • Keep vines off the ground to reduce disease

Pruning:

  • For indeterminates, pruning some suckers can improve airflow and fruit size
  • Don’t go crazy—too much pruning can sunscald fruit in hot Alabama sun

Watch for pests:

  • Hornworms (big, hungry, easy to hand-pick)
  • Whiteflies
  • Aphids

Watch for diseases:

  • Blight
  • Wilt
  • Leaf spot

The best disease prevention is boring but effective:

  • Rotate crops yearly
  • Mulch
  • Water at the base
  • Give plants space and airflow

Boring wins. Every time.

8. Harvesting

Pick tomatoes when:

  • They’re full color
  • Slightly soft to the touch

Store at room temp. The fridge dulls flavor and messes with texture. If they’re fully ripe and getting too soft, the fridge is a last resort—not home base.

The “Alabama Tomato” Rule of Thumb

If we want one easy takeaway, it’s this:

Plant after frost, plant deep, give airflow, water steady, and mulch like you mean it.

Do that, and Alabama will give you tomatoes worth bragging about.