"keepitlow", Yes, you certainly can grow them by direct seed sowing in the garden. I have done it most of my life. Although the plants seem to be a bit behind in their size at first, the in-ground ones soon catch up and even surpass the ones I babied all winter in the greenhouse. They are sturdier and healthier. Here's what I do: I dig some compost and composted manure into the soil in a chosen spot in the garden. I then sink a bottomless large pot into this prepared ground up to within and inch of the top rim. I use the top half of a 2 or 3 gallon black plastic pot, but you could use any size or type of plastic container, like a gallon ice cream bucket for instance or even a cottage cheese container. Sprinkle on your seeds, spacing them about two inches apart so their roots won't become entangled. Lightly cover them with some compost and press them into the soil. Then gently water them in, being careful not to wash them out of their positions. Cover the inside of the pot with straw, chopped leaves, pine straw or dried grass clippings to hold moisture in the soil. Sprinkle them occasionally to keep the soil just damp. You don't need to do anything else. Nature will take care of the rest. In the Spring when the soil is warm enough and the night temps are more stable, those little guys will come up and grow. They grow really fast, too. When they get two sets of true leaves, transplant them out where you want them to grow. Do this on a cloudy day when there is little or no wind for best results. I set mine in bottomless pots in the ground. You can use large coffee cans or any kind of large pot or container, even cat litter buckets work great, but cut off the bottoms and sink them down into the ground where you intend to plant your tomatoes, leaving them about 3 inches above the soil level. Then when you water them through the growing season, all you do is fill up the pots a couple of times - no wasted water. It all goes to each tomato plant. When I feed them, all the good stuff goes right to the plants. I put a cardboard cylinder collar around each one to protect them from cutworms. I use toilet paper roll cylinders, paper towel roll cylinders or even the cylinders from gift wrap for the plant collars. Cut them into 2 inch collars. (I am big on recycling things). Cutworms can't wrap around and chew through your tender plants. I do this with all my newly planted veggies, like cabbages, broccoli, and peppers, and even tender bedding plants and flowers, like petunias and asters. Eventually the little cardboard collars will disintegrate, so no need to remove them, and by that time the stems of your veggies will be too tough for cutworms to chew through. I have found that tomato plants grown from seed in the ground are much sturdier and hardier than in-house or greenhouse plants. Even when there came a late cold front, they did just fine, whereas my greenhouse plants got nipped pretty badly. Give it a try. Seeds don't cost much and if it works for you, it is definitely worth a try. No pampering tomato plants through the winter and wondering if it is time to set them out. When the ground is warm enough, you'll know because they will come up. I sow them outside in March when the moon is in the right phase and the sun sign (astrological sign) is in the best house - the most fertile, moist signs, like Scorpio or Pisces. Consult your 2009 Farmer's Almanac for "best growing days for ABOVE Ground Crops". It really does make a big difference. The great thing about direct seed sowing anything is that you do not have to "harden them off". They harden off as they grow out of the soil. :) Hope this helps. ~ Annie

1 of the biggest mistakes I made when I began gardening was to double dig my beds(major back-breaking work too!) - I was told much later by the county extension folks that it can bring nematodes up closer to the surface. You live & you learn, I guess. My 1st attempts @ almost everything did very poorly. I grow all my tomatoes in the ground & have had plenty of success & I DO have root-knot nematodes, but I've found certain varieties seem less affected than others & what you grow before can help as well - I try to plant my tomatoes after things that the nematodes leave alone, like beans & peas. & no more tilling or double digging! I just keep adding to the surface & mix plenty of compost & amendments in the planting holes. Micro & macro critters mix the soil for me. & I mulch my tomatoes thickly w/ hay - seems to help keep foliar/fungal diseases down.

Edie_h you're right that leafy plants do a lot better under the fluorescent lights than fruiting ones but it possible to grow them as well. In the beginning many have told me that you can't blah blah blah so did it anyway and found out that they do grow, flower and fruit all under 6500K bulbs. Sure the yields are probably not as great compared to growing them outside but if someone wants to do it just go ahead and have fun. Here are some pictures that I've previously posted on another post http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lights/msg0711593916003.html?29 and below are more recent pictures where more tomatoes are ripe. The only plants that I'm having problems with are root plants but that's maybe because of the soil mix I use or am just too impatient :)

Yes...You did good! I wanted to ask a question. I noticed none of you guys have ever mentioned planting Beefsteaks. Why is this? Is Beefsteak an over hyped 'pop' tomato? While there is a variety of tomato named Beefsteak, there are numerous other beefsteak tomatoes. Beefsteak is a term used to describe the shape of a tomato, just as a lot of little tomatoes varieties are called cherry tomatoes. Though you may not read of many folks growing Beefsteaks, they are indeed growing beefsteak shaped tomatoes. Beefsteak Tomato at Wikipedia If you scan through the list of tomatoes Here you will see that there are many with beefsteak in the description. You will likely recognize some that have been mentioned here as being grown. With maybe 10,000 varieties of tomatoes, many of us have at some time or another grown the named variety Beefsteak, but have since moved on to trying so many more of the 10,000 varieties available. Are there other kinds I should try next year? Undoubtedly there are...just keep reading and you will likely read of numerous ones you might like to try. Then you can mosey over to the Seed Exchange, (or the Exchange page here at this forum) make a post there, and trade off some of your Commercially bought Beefsteak for some other varieties. So many tomatoes...so little time and energy. Sue