At my house, near Purcell, if i directly seeded tomatoes I do not think I would get a single one before the weather got to hot. But I have direct seeded in early summer for a fall crop.

I am faced with the same problem. In the past I would start seeds in our bathroom, but that space has been used to install a handicapped shower for my mother.

I am thinking that I may try to build a small cold frame. I have never direct sown tomatoes because I was afraid a late frost would get them. If I start anything in the house I will have to make a very small grow stand. I have seen on utube where they used a 5 gal. bucket with a round florescent bulb and a round clamp light to start just a few plants in the bucket. I have the material for that and may give it a try.

nowyousedum

I've had to work with some very precarious scenarios. Direct seeding tomatoes isn't one that I have performed, BUT I have definitely considered it. The logistics for me would be real nightmare as I do not have time to baby plants. Here is what I had planed for direct seeding:

1. Winter sow tomatoes in milk jugs. A good time to start wintersowing according to my friends is the winter solstice. This year that's the 22nd, I believe.
   
   2) Overseed. For one tomato plant, I would so two jugs with at least 3 seedlings in each. That's six seedlings for every individual tomato plant to increase my odds of germination and a healthy start. You want only the strongest for this adventure. You'll be thinning these to one plant per jug.
   
2. Place these jugs in the warmest spot, like on the south side up against a building. Let it be sheltered from harsh winds. You're thinking ahead for when it sprouts. It can snow on the seedling. That's okay, but before it sprouts or as soon as it sprouts you need to keep it sheltered and warm and all that stuff. Row covers would be near perfect. There are a lot of options for protections.
   
   
3. Protect. Protect. Protect. it's likely to get too cold and/or freeze before it has a chance to mature. Cover it and protect it from frost and freezes. If it gets too cold it will stunt its growth.
   
   4) Transplant, but provide protection. Again, it'll grow and start on its own, but it's the cold and freezes you need to prepare for. Now, your protective devices must be sufficiently tall to handle the growth.
   
   5) Continue to protect. Here's the worth part: We may freeze even after our frost date has passed, but that's what everyone must do. If you make it this far you've done a lot of work and deserve a pat on the back.
   
   It CAN be done. It's not something most people will bother with.
   
   Most find a spot indoors or make a spot indoors. I will be clearing a section in my tiny living room, but that's only because it's worth it to me and I know myself. I'd let them freeze if they were outdoors.
   
   Good luck!
   
   bon

Look into winter sowing. There is a whole forum here on it, a website and a facebook page. When I do tomatoes, I wait till about the time I would start inside, maybe a little sooner. (and I start them inside, too)

The concept is illustrated by a gallon milk jug, cut about a third of the way up from the bottom. The bottom third is filled with moist potting soil after poking drainage holes. A few holes are poked in the upper jug and maybe leave the cap off to allow rain water in. After jug is planted, the top portion is taped back on. You set it someplace in the sun, where it won't get blown away. Water occasionally if there is no rain. When you have sprouts, you treat it as a mini greenhouse, poking more holes for ventilation and even opening it on real sunny days, closing at night. These will be tough seedlings. You gradually open more and more. There will be no need to harden off. I have even started peppers this way. It works well for spring greens and brassica, too.

What I start inside sits in a sunny window and may go outside on pretty days. I now have a greenhouse for them when they get bigger, but lights aren't a "have to have" to start a few plants.

Ha, Bon and I were writing at the same time. I do not start on winter solstace like they do up north. I'm not that organized. For summer plants, it is easier to start later, less chance of sprouting in a warm spell and then freezing.

I know, right! lol Well, I procrastinated on some of my winter sowing (mainly flowers) and we're expected to heat up to the 70s this week. Can we say premature germination??? Lisa reminded me that winter sowers usually begin on winter solstice. Now I know why! You're absolutely correct.

I don't direct sow tomatoes because it does tend to get too hot down here in southern OK before direct-sown tomato plants can even get to the flowering/fruiting stage. The kind of heat that shuts down fruitset on tomato plants almost always arrives in June, so I always feel like my plants (from transplants started indoors and grown on outdoors on sunny, warm days and in the greenhouse on cold days) are in a race to beat the heat anyway, and they are easily 6-8-10 weeks ahead of anything I could direct sow here. In a year when the winter is above-average in warmth and spring/summer heat arrive early, we sometimes start hitting the 90s even in April and certainly in May. I remember that 2011 was a year like that, and in years when the heat arrives early, direct-sown tomatoes won't produce until fall because the heat just knocks their blossoms off without fruit set. The tomato plants I got into the ground in early April in 2011 were the only ones that produced well, and I had friends down here who didn't get their tomato plants in the ground until after mid-April and they got no tomatoes because the heat arrived literally before their plants were in the ground. Luckily, most years are not as hot as early as 2011 was, but memories of years like that are why I start my plants early and transplant them as early as possible.

You can direct-sow for a fall crop, and some people here in my area do that, but their fall crop tends to be strictly for canning and they are just choosing to do their canning in fall rather than in the hotter summer months.

I don't winter sow warm season annual veggie, herb or flower crops but I like winter sowing for perennial herbs and flowers that need cold weather stratification.

Thanks everyone! So, Dawn, you posted your list of tomatoes you plan to grow. Are you ordering seeds or starts? Y'all mention seed catalogs. I've never ordered seed. I've purchased plants from the nursery and been given plants. Some produce. Some don't. I had one plant this year that go to be about 7-8 feet and never had one bloom!