Tomatoes - to Plant or Not to Plant

That is the question. In our zone (7b) it is generally advised to wait until April 15th before planting out tomato plants. Soil and air temperatures aren't dependably warm until then and even then  it can be iffy.

If you do decide to go for it and risk it, read these two articles to make an educated decision.
Cold weather effects on Tomatoes
Cold Damage to Tomato Plants

If cold weather does move back in you really DO need to cover any warm weather crops with row covers and anchor the cover completely to the ground so that no air gets in. You want to trap the radiant heat energy coming up from the ground and not let in any cold drafts.  Just like you wrap a scarf around your neck tightly to keep drafts from going down your back.

I found a really interesting article Temps for tomatoes and peppers that details what various low temperatures do at various stages of the life cycle of tomato and pepper plants.  The article mostly has temperatures in C versus F degrees but it does show enough F degree temps to use it. To convert any temperature from C to F - here is a Temperature Converter.