Wow! Where to begin? ;) I'll try to at least scratch the surface for you, ok?

All of the starts have small true leaves, should I transfer them to bigger individual containers or plant them directly in the ground?

Let's start with this question. In southern Indiana you are close to planting out time, northern Indiana you still have some time. So depending on that, you either need to already have your in-ground garden bed prepared and ready to go OR you will have to have it ready VERY soon. And that is a problem as getting the garden ready takes time - usually done the fall before.

In this situation you can a) hire someone to till up the place in the yard, add an equal amount of compost, and till it in, and then hope that the weather cooperates and that the soil temp is adequate to plant. Not the ideal.

b) build a raised bed by framing in an area in the yard with lumber at least 6" deep, lay down some cardboard to block the grass in the bottom, and fill the area with 1/2 and 1/2 mix of quality topsoil and compost. Then plant. Better but still takes time.

c) grow in containers this year - big ones at least 15 gallons, filled with a quality soil-less container growing mix. Best solution given the short amount of time available. Tell us what you did last year in containers that didn't work well and we can fix that. Meanwhile, use this summer and fall to build yourself a proper garden bed for next year.

Now, if the plants have never been transplanted since they sprouted, yes, transplant them to just below the bottom set of leaves in individual larger cups with a quality soil-less mix in it and either use a mix that already has some fertilizer in it or feed them with a 1/4 strength liquid mix. Doing this will gain you about 2 weeks more time to get your bed or containers ready.

so I'm thinking about putting down top-soil or compost before I plant the tomatoes. Which would be better choice?

You need both but you have to be careful about what is sold as topsoil. it can range from good quality landscapers mix down to scraped scrub. So if you go this route choose it with care. Compost - you need at least 10-15% of the total mix to be good compost. More is fine and it will settle and continue to decompose.

But honestly, I think it's going to be hard to get an in-ground bed good and ready - not impossible - but it will take time and some hard work so I'd sure give some thought to containers instead for this year. Containers can be quite successful when done right.

What varieties are you growing? Determinates or indeterminates? How do you plan to cage or stake them? How much sun will they get where you plan to put the garden vs. where you put the containers. What sort of fertilizers do you plan to use? How many plants are we talking about?

See, and you thought you had lots of questions. ;)

Dave

Ha ha. Wow...growing tomatoes is so involved! All I know is that I bought two packets of seeds from Burpee. One is Razzle Dazzle, and one is Italian Ice (cherry tomatoes) both are hybrids. As far as determinates or indeterminates... yeah I have no clue. What is the difference between the two? How long do you think I should cage or stake them?? The spot I have tilled for the garden gets lots of sun, so that won't be a problem. For fertilizer I have Miracle Grow for tomatoes. And right now I have probably about 10 starts of each variety.

Thanks for helping me out! I'm slowly learning the ropes of tomato growing.

Randers,

Honestly, not being mean but there is a FAQ at the top of the page. Your State's Agricultural Extension Office might have some things for your area, a web search of "how to grow tomatoes" will keep you busy for days.

Not trying to discourage anyone but a lot of the basic stuff can be found before someone, even someone as good natured and knowledgable as Dave, sends you a reply.

Have Fun!

I'm all with digdirt about raised beds but I'd make it 3 times as deep! I started with a depth of 2 6" boards (with 1 foot of the ground beneath totally removed and filled with a mix of good topsoil, compost, peat and sand) and the next season I added another 6" board...

This depth allows me to plant 6 plants in a 3X5 bed and I rarely have to water...every year I amend with a topsoil, mushroom and cotton burr compost mix, worm castings and slow release organic fertilizer (I've used TomatoTone from Espoma and/or chicken doo but I now like Happy Frog 7-4-5 with mycorrhizae and humic acid best)

Here's a picture I took yesterday of my bed...it is well worth the effort to make a raised bed...it's the gift that keeps on giving season after season..

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

Ever true to my moniker, I must agree with bluemater.

In case I missed something over the last few years, please tell me why raised beds are so redeeming. I have a concrete backyard, and I grow in pots... which are raised, you might say! (I have to turn my pots over each winter and renew the soil with compost.)

More recently, my wife and I have obtained a plot in our nearby public garden, which is as close to farm life as we'll ever get in suburban southern California. The beds there are only slightly raised, and aged. So I ask about your preference for highly-raised beds. Perhaps I'll enphasize the altitude. Many other have no raised beds over there.

Does this have to do with your heavy rainfall? We get none of that in the summer. We got 10" this winter. That's it for the year. We get lots of sunshine and must always hand-water.

What's up with the beds? (Pardon the pun.)

WHY??