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I'm pretty much in the same boat as you.
I've been trying to harden off my plants for about 2 weeks off and on due to the wind and storms passing through.
I've been putting my plants outside, most day's and some nights unless the weather is just too bad (windy or cold). As for windy, do you have a spot in your yard up against a wall, fence, etc that could protect your plants? As long as it doesn't frost or freeze your tomatoes will be fine, they won't grow much but they'll harden off. I've had more problems with some of their tender leaves getting sunburned or windblown than damaged by the colder nights.
Where I'm at, I shouldn't plant outside until 4/15. Hope this helps.

Sure you "can" but I feel pretty safe in saying you'll regret it if you do, sorry.

Wind is death to tomato seedlings and if the air temp is only in the 50s then the soil temp can't be much higher. Tomato plants will just sit and pout at soil temps less than 65 if you are lucky or will stunt and die if you aren't.

If you have put down black mulch to pre-warm the soil and if you can provide good wind breaks for the plants and if you are prepared to do frost protection on them and if the weather cooperates you might make it. Otherwise, you need to wait another week to 10 days in your zone.

It's a pain I know but balance that against losing all your plants.

Dave

Thanks, I needed to hear that. It does get up to as high as 80 during the day, but its down to 50ish at night.

I'll wait.

80? If dry enough, I would likely plant after some hardening.

Can't you put them in something to protect them from the wind and the doggie for a while while you harden them off, like a cardboard box (open top, high sides) or something? I have to protect things from dogs, cats, and free ranging chickens (who eat ANYTHING) so I am used to being creative about solving these problems. Look around with an open mind, you will find something.!

I'm in zone 8ish, No CA. My extention office says that our last chance of frost is April 15th. I'm guessing that you have a later frost date in zone 7.
I'm chompin at the bit to plant!
I'm going to the plant sale this weekend!WooHoo!
I'll be planting several things from seed this weekend also.
Picked bets and radishes this morning.

When I was a kid, we'd cover our tomato plants with a metal gallon can with the bottom cut out and the top halfway cut out and bent upwards. The top opening would be facing east to get morning sun and shade in afternoon. These cans make very effective windbreaks and hold in a bit of warmth on cool nights. After a couple or three weeks, the plants would be hardened off and we'd remove the cans. I've been collecting cans so I can do that again. Nowadays we have floating row cover, so I think I could set them out even earlier knowing that it would be easy to cover them with the row cover on really chilly nights.

It's hard to find those cans nowadays, but some schools and other cafeterias still get food in them. Maybe you can find some there? Or at your local recycling center?

I got some trays from the hardware store and arranged a chair barrier to protect the plants from Miss Piggie. I'll harden them off that way.

As to the wind... it always comes from one direction in the field, I think the trees break it the other ways, and our weather tends to blow in from the west. So I'll be building tomato cages out of 3 foot fencing, and I'll just put the 'maters towards the side against the staked cage, and bury them deep and they should be ok.

But as to planting them before a week or more that is out of the question - its bouncing between only 70F during the day and 45F at night.

Maybe it will be ok in two weeks.

Oh, bonus pics of me getting ready to plant! Got a weed barrier up now - 3 feet of landscape cloth and pine straw outside the fence. Mulching a path inside it tomorrow.

Took the fence up to 8 feet today by extending the wooden posts with the old posts and running thick guage electric wire in between them. A deer might be able to knock through if he really tried, but hopefully it would tie him up and scare him.

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Nice fence! I think I can make out your electric line running up on top there. How did you work it around the gate to finish the loop? Is it solar or do you have electricity out there?

The lines up top aren't electric, and I'm not sure they will be. I don't think the deer would get shocked much mid-jump. So I'm gonna have one electric line at about 5 feet sticking out on plastic hooks and another on the outside of the pinestraw bed at 2-3 feet, with peanut butter on it.

There is a solar box in the last pic, at top left... on the ground :)

Here's my stuff on trays out hardening off - but not today, terrible wind, so only the stuff I could really shelter is out.

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Ok broken record here.......

Your winter project of 2009 should be a coldframe. Maybe two. That way you can just put those little babies out next year and they will be somewhat protected. I love mine and will never be without one again.

Makes starting lots of seeds less intimidating. If you put them near power you could put heating cables in them.

Winter project 2009 is an entire grow-shed with heaters and lights, so I can have fresh tomatoes year round :)

Its looking like it will rise above 50F at night this coming weekend, so I think I'm going to plant then. Its been above 80 some days, so I think the soil will be plenty warm.

I've been hardening off every day I can this week, so hopefully they'll be ready.