Jim Carter wrote in message . ..
Our last frost date is May 24. Does this mean that tomatoes may be planted at
this time even though the soil is still cool?I would, of course, have hardened
off the plants prior to this.
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Soil temperature is definitely important. If the soil isn't warm
enough, the plants will just sit there. The stems will thicken a bit
but that's about it.
Most of the gardeners I know do hedge a bit on the last frost date.
Ours is May 1 and I generally plant the majority of my tomato plants
between April 15 and 20. I have had plants survive that were planted
as early as February 28 but aside from having a few ripe early
tomatoes, they don't seem to do any better than the ones planted in
April and they often play out earlier. If you do hedge on the last
frost date, I suggest having a plan ready in case of frost.
I prefer placing a few wire flags around each plant if frost is
predicted and place black garbage bags over the plants, making sure
the plastic doesn't touch the plant. Row covers are also effective.
My results over the last few years show that most plants will survive
if covered unless you have sustained temperatures below 25 degrees.

Lee Hall
Zone 6B - Tennessee