Hi Kelly, Have the plants been grown indoors all along? And, if so, have they been hardened off to outdoor temperatures, wind and sunlight? If so, and if your forecast doesn't show any low temperatures dropping below about 25 degrees, then I'd enthusiastically say "go for it". However, if they have been grown completely indoors and haven't been hardened off yet, then you need to harden then off prior to planting by giving them increasing exposure to outdoor conditions--one hour their first day out, two hours the second day, etc. After they're up to about 8 hours a day, they can be transplanted. Both broccoli and cabbage are cool-season crops and do like the cooler temperatures as long as they've been hardened off and are used to them. They will finish up their production before the hottest summer temperatures arrive. If properly hardened by exposure to cold temperatures, cabbage generally can tolerate low temperatures down to about 20-22 degrees. Cabbage makes its best growth when it is exposed to daytime highs in the 60s. Broccoli is slightly more temperature-sensitive and often will be damaged when the temperatures are in the mid-20s. It makes its best growth when daytime highs stay below 70 degrees. Dawn

I think the point Daniel is making is that the tops are going to lay over naturally. That is what they do. It is up to you to control which way they go and how they are supported when that happens. They appear to already be leaning to the left. As i said above, when using first class tomato cages most just let them drape back down the outside of the cage. But since you have that fence there to the left of the plants you could use it as a sort of trellis support - make the trellis out of whatever you have handy - and then tie the tops of the plants to the trellis. Just Google 'tomato trellis images' for pics hundreds of different ways to trellis tomatoes. All it takes is a bit of imagination once you see the pics. As for the thinning of foliage, no we aren't talking about just removing the lowest branches although some of them could easily be removed. We are talking about turning the area from an overgrown wild jungle into a slightly manicured set of plants by giving it a haircut. As i said above you need to thin out between the plants and do it all the way up each side. You can cut leaf branches back 1/2 way if that is enough or you can remove every 3rd leaf branch and snip it back to approx. 1/4" from the main stem it is growing off. We are talking leaf branches only. You do not remove bloom clusters or the main stems, just leaves. Right now there is no way to tell how many plants there are growing there as they were planted too close together apparently. So when you are done you should be able to clearly see how many different plants are growing in that area, ok? Dave

I'm new to Gardenweb, but I live in zone 4. We have cool, wet springs most years followed by 80-100 degree summers. Challenging for an heirloom tomato sometimes. I have found my best producers/finest flavors to be: Costoluto Genovese. I agree with everything tarolli said about it, and it is usually the first one to ripen in my garden.. Excellent full flavor here. Not too sweet or too acid. Earl's Faux. Great tomato for BLT's. Huge with great production. Sweet, but full tomato flavor. Goose Creek (pink). I have trialed probably 75 tomatoes (a mere pittance compared to most people on this board). Goose Creek is our very favorite tomato of all time. This one has never failed to deliver sweet, smooth, wine flavored tomatoes that are great for BLT's, canning, salsa or salad. The skin is so thin, they peel without blanching, yet they rarely crack. They love the cool springs and keep right on going thorough the heat. If I only grew just one tomato... It would be Goose Creek. For all you want to do, I would agree with fireduck and plant a hybrid or two. Although, I don't have one to recommend. All the best to you and have fun!!

I would give it a try, catherinet. It couldn't hurt.