Karen, that is what I was going to do - start them in a milk carton, left outside. I do have a green house, but the cover is off right now, so I was going to put them on the tables in there to keep them safe from the dogs. Thanks for the info about them sprouting too early. That was what I was thinking, but didn't know if tomatoes would be affected by that or not. I do get them coming up in the garden, so I know that the seeds will survive even brutal temps, but I'd rather plant them and hope for the best that way, rather than tossing the seeds in the garden and hoping that they will come up.
Thanks for the help!