No, that's normal -- large vining tomatoes need cages for a reason :) I'd pinch flowers for now, keep the focus on the leaves and roots. Nothing's going to pollinate them indoors anyway unless you do it.

I started hardening my tomatoes here in Iowa City last week and planted last weekend. That was a bit early, though -- they got some cold damage. So up there in WI, I think you're going to have to hold off a couple more weeks. Sorry! You don't want them out there in under... say, 45F or so at night. Higher if there's wind.

If you don't want to deal with cages indoors (which I can totally understand), I'd consider putting a stick or dowel in each pot and tying your plants off to them.

"Nothing's going to pollinate them indoors anyway unless you do it."
Tomatoes will pollinate themselves. The shaking from being moved around will be enough to knock pollen loose.

Look up the average last frost date for your area and plant anytime after that date for tomatoes and about a week after last frost for peppers. Both peppers and tomatoes love warm soil so consider laying down black or IRT plastic.

Next year plant tomatoes 6 weeks before your last frost date, peppers 8 weeks before and you'll only need to pot up once.

Jon

Tomatoes will pollinate themselves. The shaking from being moved around will be enough to knock pollen loose.

If you shake them; true. But tomatoes have relatively poor indoor pollination on their own. There are all kinds of methods that are employeed in greenhouses (fans to shake them around, shaker tables, vibrating wands, etc), but nothing seems to work as well as good old fashioned bumblebees. :)

Q-tip gently rubbed on inside of flowers, etc... =)

Thanks for the tips - the plants are actually going outside every day and inside every night. There's just no room for them in here! So they're mostly hardened off. Wind still takes the peppers through a beating, but the sun doesn't seem to bother them. I was hoping you'd say - oh, just plant them and cover them! :) I guess we'll use some dowels as suggested and get through the next few weeks. Hopefully the early tomatoes will be worth the effort! (Good thing my husband doesn't mind most of the dining room turning into a greenhouse every night - Hmmmm, a greenhouse. Better put that on my Christmas list!)

Oh, one more thing...I really like the tip about black plastic. I have some extra lying around. How long before planting should I lay that down? Thanks.

Anytime before planting is good but at least 3 weeks is ideal to let the soil warm up. Make sure the soil is moist when you lay the plastic down. When laying the plastic make sure your bed is very even so the plastic contacts the soil as much as possible.

Jon

Regarding the plastic: I had done some research on various plastic mulches, and found that some great studies had been done on white, clear, and black plastic mulches (interesting that I found that when I was trying to research the red mulch which supposedly makes tomatoes increase in yields and sweetness... sounds like the jury's still hung on that one; I guess the sunlight has to reflect OFF the red to be effective, and in some growing situations, not much sunlight hits the mulch, thereby negating any positive effect. But I digress...) The research found that black plastic mulches will warm the soil a couple degrees at 2" down, and not quite as much 4-6" down (black captures heat), and white didn't heat the soil much (white reflects most light), but what surprised me was the clear plastic. What they found was that certain wavelengths of light were allowed to enter via infrared, but wouldn't reflect back out. The soil with the clear plastic mulch was crazy--it was something like 10-14 degrees WARMER than non-mulched soil at 2" and 4-6 degrees warmer at 6 inches. I wish I had bookmarked that site, but you could probably find it if you googled "plasticulture." Anyway, I think this is going to be my technique for killing weeds and weed seeds/seedlings in the spring. I have a terrible bindweed problem, and those suckers just will not die (invasive roots can go to 60 FEET), which of course means WAR! I can put down the clear plastic over the rock beds (wet them first so the steam can build) and cover them with clear plastic. Sorry to get off-topic on your original question, but it kinda turned into a plastic mulch thread... Anyway, put the plastic down now; the sun can do much of the work even if the nights are cold, and the plastic will help keep the heat in at night. If you're going to continue to use plastic mulch after the plants are in-ground, you can use the research to apply the proper mulch for the various plants: peas like cooler soil (white), but tomatoes like it kinda warm (black), while okra likes it HOT (clear). Also good to know if a gardener is in the south--you just might inadvertently cook the roots of some of your plants if clear plastic is used!

Regarding your original question, I found a package of small-diameter bamboo sticks--painted green, no less--at Walmart for like 3 bucks for about 20 of them. They're great for stabilizing tomatoes until you're able to cage them; just be careful what you use to tie the vines because if it doesn't have some give and take, it might just become a noose. Favorite cheapies are strips of old nylons--they give but are also sturdy enough to do the trick (I have alson been known to use a recently pulled strand of bindweed as a tie!). I expect we may yet have some more frosty nights here in CO, so I bamboo-"staked" my tomatoes in their gallon pots just today because they're getting whipped around in the wind. They're out all day, just like yours, and then into the garage each night unless it's going to be over 45--the garage stays warm enough, especially since there's no wind in there! Too much cold can stunt the growth--especially if you already have flowers, the fruit might not set, so don't rush it. Regarding the pollinating of the flowers--the plants are outside all day, so it's a fair shot that some of the bumbles are buzzing! Maybe pinch off half or 2/3 of the blooms--that way you'll still get some early fruit, but the plants won't be wearing themselves out trying to grow more roots and lots of fruit at the same time.

Do a GW search for "hardening off" to get a better idea of how to prepare them for being in the ground. There's some great stuff out there. I'm kinda jealous, though; I waited so long that my indoor starts are puny (the ones I staked are from a swap!). Way to make sure that you've got some good plants ready to go!

(and can I get on Santa's list for a greenhouse, too?)

Anyway, I think this is going to be my technique for killing weeds and weed seeds/seedlings in the spring.

Just so you know... clear construction plastic like you might get in bulk at your local big box store is *not* rated for outdoor use. It's non-UV-treated polyethylene. It'll last for about 200-300 days exposed to the elements before it becomes brittle and starts cracking when flexed.

If you want something that'll last, order plastic from a greenhouse supply store. Get at least treated polyethylene. Treated PVC or fluorinated polymers are even better. Bubble wrap is two-layered PVC, so you may get a bit more insulation that way. Also excellent are solar pool covers.

Thanks for the posts on the plastic - so much to learn yet! At least while I'm waiting around to plant, I still have time to do something useful! BTW...my extra tomato plants made great mother's day gifts, too! Less to bring in at night, and both my mom and mother-in-law are happy!