Indoor Tomatoes

• Plant indoor tomatoes anytime. Supplement sunlight with grow lamps if you do not have any windows with a southern exposure, and pollinate by hand. Stick to small-fruiting varieties such as 'Tiny Tim' or 'Cherry Gold' for a harvest in 45 days. Try the 'Husky' varieties if you want larger fruits and don't mind waiting 2 1/2 months.
  
  

Zones 1, 44 and 45

• Sunset's U.S. tomato-planting zones are grouped by overall climate rather than frost dates only, like the USDA zone map, so it provides more information on local microclimates. Zone 1 includes most of the Pacific Northwest states, plus the southern tip of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Nebraska and mountainous portions of California. Arizona and New Mexico have scattered Zone 1 microclimates in high elevations. Zones 44 and 45 stretch from Maine's northeast tip, across northern New Hampshire and into Vermont's northeast corner, giving way to warmer areas until you reach Wisconsin.
  
  Set containers outside in June and bring them inside by August 31. Frost comes any time in Zone 1, 44 and 45, making late-harvest tomato varieties impractical. 'Sub-arctic', 'Early Girl' and 'Quick Pick' produce fruits in under 60 days. 'Champion' or 'Mountain Spring' need 65 days. Avoid 'Supersteak' and other 80-day or longer varieties.
  
  

Zones 2, 3, 42 and 43

• Zones 2 and 3 include Washington's southeast corner, Oregon's Pacific coastline, southern Idaho, most of Nevada, middle elevations in Arizona, lower elevations in Colorado and New Mexico and a portion of midwest Kansas. Zones 42 and 43 include New York's southern half, upper elevations of Pennsylvania's midsection, the "dog" portion of Michigan, most of Wisconsin, Iowa's northern half, southern Minnesota and North Dakota's southeast corner to Nebraska's northeast corner.
  
  Take containers outside in May and harvest through late September. Plant 'Mule Team' and 'Nepal', two late-harvest varieties that produce until the killing frost, in 5-gallon buckets. Provide trellises to prevent broken tendrils due to heavy fruits, and keep the containers on carts to move inside when frost threatens.
  
  

Zones 4, 7, 36, 39 through 41

• Zone 4 is a Washington microclimate. Zone 7 is in northern California. Zone 36 covers the Appalachian mountains. Zones 39 through 41 extend from northern Ohio and all of Michigan westward, into the northeast corner of Kansas and Nebraska's southeast corner. In these zones, set containers outside in early May and harvest through late October. Grow a full range of tomato varieties, from 54-day 'Early Girl' through late-season 'Ukrainian Pear', 'Big Girl' and 'Beefmaster'.
  
  

10, 11 and 33 through 35

• Zone 10 is an Arizona microclimate, running east through southern New Mexico and into west Texas. Zone 11 is a California microclimate. Zones 33 through 35 spread east from Texas through Oklahoma, southern Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas, southern Illinois through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, northern Mississippi and Alabama. Bring your containers outside in April and harvest through late October to grow a full range of tomato varieties.
  
  

Other U.S. Zones

• Bring containers outside in March to harvest through November and December between New Orleans and northern Florida. Microclimates in California and most of Florida can grow tomatoes in containers from February through December, although summer heat demands frequent watering. Hot-weather varieties such as 'Arkansas Traveler', 'Bradley' and 'Tropic' thrive in these zones.