Hi Todd-regarding the planting date for tomatoes: I live a bit north of Baltimore and I figure planting time for tomatoes is about the second week in May for me. About 10 miles south in Baltimore proper I would consider the first weekend if the ground has had a chance to warm up but probably not....Tomatoes are warm weather creatures and they will just "sit there" until it warms up anyways. I use roofing paper and put about a 6-8" collar around the outside of my cages to prevent wind burn for the first couple of weeks also. The black paper seems to keep the plants a bit warmer also...I would rather err on too late than too soon but I may be in the minority on that view. Happy planting! Connie in Hunt Valley, MD