Up here they can go so quick and hard it's like they might as well have not been planted. Some grow them under plastic the whole summer. If it has been cool down there you should probably get your shelter up right away.

You may want to make it in such a way that the top, or center can vent tho, because we may get some last 80 degree days. You could just secure shut with a clohes pin befor it cools off on the hot days, and leave it shut on the cool ones Ive done it, and its a good way to lengthen it out a bit.

I believe all you need for late blight is a roof, without sides, same as with protecting peach trees. You might want to check on that.

Good Idea. Will check.

What about a hoophouse? Will allow earlier planting and later harvest.

Here is a link that might be useful: WSU Hoophouse

Thanks for the hoophouse plans! I'll consider that for getting my brugmansias out earlier in the spring...gonna have a lot of young ones.

I have only a few tomato plants this year, but think I too, will provide some cover to keep the rain off.

I thought I was being smart this yr and didn't use the plastic over the tomatoes. Both went to blight earlier than I ever thought they would so-no tomatoes this yr. I learned a lesson always keep at least a plastic roof on them.

When I was a kid gardening with my grandfather, we always put melon sized rocks around the tomato plants to keep the night time temps up a bit. That, combined with a plastic cover should work quite well. Whitefly can be a problem if the tomatoes are enclosed too much.

Would it matter what kind of clear plastic? Is there a problem of filtering out some rays? I'm ready to do some thing to have an abundance of tomatoes until right before they shrivel up. What a wierd year.