Tomatoes - when to plant-out

[Sigurd]

The usual advice is to plant in their final position when first flowers show sign of opening. Yet if you look on the RHS web site the advice this is not mentioned at all. RHS says "Young, well-rooted tomato plants, either grown from seed or recently bought, can be planted into their final position in early summer, once temperatures are reliably above 16°C (60°F)".
I would like to follow this advice because it is more convenient - I am running out of growing on space! But most people seem to say - wait for first flowers.
I am going to try 3 plants in a grow bag - one flowers opening, one buds visible, one just leaves. But maybe someone has already tried this.
Any comments?

 

[Mick Emery]

I've always removed any flowers when I 1st put tomatoes in the ground. I want the plant to work on establishing roots, not fruit.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

"After last chance of frost" seems the commonest advice I have seen, but I usually do it about now. If there is another cold snap I save the largest plastic bags to put over them with cane supports, or stand sheets of glass around them overnight, it is not likely to be a deep freeze anymore.

 

[skinyea]

I tend to wait until the soil is 70 degrees. so depends on the year

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I tend to wait until the soil is 70 degrees. so depends on the year

Waiting for that in the Lake District it might be mid-summer
I have found they sell very cheap 14 litre buckets at B&Q, taken to growing my tomatoes in them this year. This means I can stand them out when it's warm, bring them in when it's cold, but I still have a few to plant out as well, variety of approach is always good, spreads the chances.

 

[GFTL]

I just reluctantly up potted some of my tomatoes knowing I'd be planting out in a week to 10 days kust tokeep them from getting root bound. I don't expect any more real cold weather but I'm in no hurry to transplant out. I do move them inside at night.