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When ordering at a restaurant, I regularly ask, "no tomatoes, please". Those dry, mealy, and flavorless slices of "something" trying to pass as a tomato? Ick. No, thank you.

The unmistakable flavor of a juicy, tangy, homegrown tomato is what we chase after every year, no matter how uncooperative the weather might be or how many squirrels we must shoo away.

Whether you started your tomato transplants by seed indoors or purchased them at a nursery, I'm sure you are very ready to put them in the ground.

"To plant, or not to plant. That is the question."

As your gardening head coach, I know that you are ready for me to definitively call the play and tell you if it is safe to plant your tomatoes now.

First, let me tell you about my personal planting rules. My target planting date for tomatoes is always March 15. That date is early enough for tomato plants to get established before the heat arrives, but late enough to avoid most (emphasis on most) late freezes.

The average last frost date for DFW is March 12. How accurate is that estimate? That date is based on historical weather data collected since 1898. So, pretty accurate.

Yes, a week ago it looked like we were in the clear, but there are forecasted lows of 38 degrees this weekend. That's low enough to create frost that could kill young tomatoes.

If you have already planted your tomatoes, you will need to protect them very, very well. (And next year, don't start your tomato seeds until Jan 15-20, and plan to wait until March 12th - 15th to transplant.)

Now do you see why March 15 is my target date?

If you want to truly master the art of growing tomatoes in North Texas, join me this Saturday for Tomato Magic.

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

In this class, I share my secrets to growing hundreds of pounds of delicious tomatoes every summer. We will talk about fertilization, pest and disease control, transplanting techniques, support options, and harvesting best practices.

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Here's what a former student says about this class: