When can I plant tomatoes in Anaheim, California?

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I'm used to planting April-Jun right on the coast but I've moved about 20 miles further inland and it's warmer here. I tried googling but it was full of misinformation that doesn't apply to Anaheim. Here is weather history in case that helps: https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/USCA0027:1:US . This year might be a little bit warmer if anything, but that's impossible to predict exactly.

Lots of 80-95 degree weather coming up, may or may not hit 100. But that's this month; it may cool down by Aug-Sep. Lows get down to 50 degrees about mid November. On the coast (not here) it rarely gets above 80 though with the recent heat wave it's been hitting 85 a few times.

My alternative is to plant some herbs and/or wait a month to be safe and start some leafy greens, then try tomatoes next year. Which would be a shame but I don't want to waste my time on struggling tomatoes either.

I'm doing something similar to a homemade earthbox (google it) with bark or peat based potting soil, organic fertilizer and earthworm castings. The containers automatically keep consistent soil moisture. I've done it before on the coast and it works out very well, so I don't think the soil will be an issue.

Balcony with full sun on one side, south facing. Going to tie tomatoes against a single trellis so light can penetrate.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Welcome to the forum! (y)

I don't have much experience with tomatoes but there are plenty of other members here who do, so I'll leave you in their very capable hands!
 
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Tomatoes are temperature sensitive as to when their blooms will set fruit. They will only reliably set fruit when the NIGHTTIME LOW temperatures are between 68F and 74F. I doesn't make much difference what the daytime temperatures are as long as it is warm.
 

Brandie

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Hey there! I am also in CA, and live about 30 minutes inland in North County. I plant my tomatoes end of April!
 
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Tomatoes are temperature sensitive as to when their blooms will set fruit. They will only reliably set fruit when the NIGHTTIME LOW temperatures are between 68F and 74F. I doesn't make much difference what the daytime temperatures are as long as it is warm.
That will be about right here inland. If anything my coastal tomatoes were cooler at night, about 60 and they did fine.

Well we'll see how it goes since everything is planted now.
 
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What is your weather like? Is it 110 degrees there now? Do you get frost and freeze in winter?

When I lived in Phoenix I planted tomatoes Nov 1 from seeds keep them wet they were up in 4 days and tomatoes 65 days later. We often had frost in Feb but it did not always freeze in Feb. I could cover tomatoes plants and protect them from frost but not freeze. If tomatoes froze I planted seeds again Match 1 and had tomatoes May 15 or 20. I put a 15'x20' black shade tarp over tomatoes in May and had tomatoes until 115 degree heat in July. My garden irrigation system came on at 9 pm for 15 minutes every day.
 

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