That was for peppers. Peppers don't like temps in the 40's or below forget it. In October where I'm at they can tolerate it but not in the spring. Tomatoes are more hardy but they like the warm weather too. Why they absolutely loved my low(8 foot peak) greenhouse last year where temps during the day went over 120 degrees(gauge only went to 120). I had to drive out the heat during the day with the hose. If you're planting Bonnie types they've been hardened off considerably. However they can still get stunted. As mentioned soil type matters and location, elevation etc. I'm not going to torture my plants because they're better off under warm lights. THere's plenty of time for outdoors. Btw that mulch will soak up your nitrogen supply.

Would it be possible to post a picture of the damage to the pepper plants? That would really help. I agree that hornworms may be a possibility but when tomato plants are available they seldom go after peppers. So I'm thinking it is something else - climbing cutworms (slim) or a mammal of some kind like a groundhog. As to the bad tomato growing place - that sounds like a soil pocket problem of some sort. Since the pumpkins are thriving there I'd suspect a possible hot pocket of excess nitrogen OR a soil pocket that doesn't drain well and so remains too wet. Tomato plants are much more susceptible to root rot than members of the squash family. Dave

So... build a retractable awning ;). You can try spraying some Neem in between rains, wont help much if its non stop torrential rain. But it will help a bit if its one of them on and off drizzles.

bettsyy, the bumps on the stems may be roots trying to form where the stem got wet, tomatoes will try to put out roots along the stem even above ground if the stem is wet enough... do you water the ground below the plant or the actual leaves? Also, if the yellow leaves are relatively spot-free, and they are the lowest leaves, they could just be dying off due to age and lack of sunlight down low on the plant... or they can be yellowing from overwatering. How is the soil you planted in and how have you been watering and have you had much rain?