When should I plant tomatoes in ZIP 55401?

In ZIP 55401, the main tomatoes target is around May 17, based on the representative Minneapolis frost station and USDA zone 5a.

Is this a guaranteed planting date?

No. GrowZone uses frost-date estimates, hardiness zones, and crop timing rules for planning. Local microclimates and current weather can shift the right date.

ZIP 55401 planting calendar

In ZIP 55401, plant tomatoes around May 17.

Your Minneapolis calendar has a 144-day estimated frost-free season. This estimate uses the representative Minneapolis frost station, USDA zone 5a, and tomatoes timing rules.

USDA zone 5a Minneapolis frost station University of Minnesota Extension Updated 2026-06-28

Read the method

Season map

Tomatoes windows by month

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Start indoors

Mar 29

Transplant

May 17

Harvest

Aug 3

Frost watch

Jul 15

Reminder workflow

Every date has a next action

Start tomatoes indoorsMar 29

Last frost windowMay 10

Transplant tomatoesMay 17

Last tomatoes sowing targetJul 15

First tomatoes harvest windowAug 3

Signal	Value	Why it matters
Last frost estimate	May 10, 2026	Warm-season transplant risk starts falling after this window.
First frost estimate	October 1, 2026	Fall planting counts backward from this date.
Season length	144 days	Longer seasons can support succession crops.
Spacing	18-24 in	Airflow and root space affect yield.
Soil temperature	60 F+	Seeds and transplants stall in cold soil.

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Local data

Why this date changes by ZIP

Minneapolis frost history and USDA zone 5a shift the safe planting window. GrowZone uses a local representative station instead of one national rule.

University of Minnesota Extension is the kind of local source to verify against when a crop is expensive, weather is unusual, or your yard has a cold pocket.

Crop note

Tomatoes timing notes

Harden seedlings off for a week before transplanting. Tomatoes prefers full sun, 18-24 in spacing, and soil near 60 F+.

For fall, count backward from Oct 1. A conservative last sowing target is around Jul 15.