tomatoes in texas

i read that it is hard to get good tomatoes in texas if you direct sow-why? has anyone had good luck with direct sowing in dallas area? i have some plants but wondered if i could also direct sow-

Having transplants ready to put in at the right time is fairly important because it gets hot so fast here, which tends to kill (denature) the pollen.

Direct sowing *early* in the season can be iffy because tomato seeds need warmth to germinate, and also because of any late frosts we may get. So, this might amount to covering and uncovering the seedlings quite a few times, especially in the metroplex. You could use a cold frame to help out with that, I suppose. Also, if it rains a lot, seeds can get beaten into the ground or washed away and may not germinate.

Direct sowing *later* in the season might mean you won't have a plant that is mature enough to reach critical mass and start blooming before it gets too hot for good fruitset.

When I lived in the metroplex, I would usually have a few seeds sprout in various places in the garden from fruits that were missed in my prior year garden cleanup. In the past, I have left a few of those plants in (if they weren't in the way) to see what they would do. Results were iffy. Sometimes they did okay; usually they weren't able to set fruit in time. It was mostly the cherry types that did much of anything.

thanks suze for the informative answer---didn't know about killing the pollen- might have to rethink my idea