When to plant crocuses in Berlin: 20 October – end of December

In Berlin, crocus: plant from 20 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Der Kartoffel Laden (farm shop, 5 km) and ECF Farmsystems (farm shop, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Bulbs are best planted early in the window: late-planted bulbs may flower later or less well. Late planting works only while the soil can be dug. Mulch after planting.

The average daily temperature here stays above 0 °C all winter, and at least three months average 7 °C or less: our rule of thumb for the winter cold spring bulbs need. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS.

Crocus in Berlin: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in January, February; the coldest, January, averages -0.7 °C.

Planting	20 October – end of December
First autumn frost	19 November
Coldest nights	January, -0.7 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Daylight	10:22 on 20 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:39

The same dates in Berlin hold for Garlic, Tulip, Daffodil and Hyacinth.

Crocus in Berlin: depth, winter cold, pests and pets

Plant Dutch crocuses (Crocus vernus) about 12 cm deep and 9 cm apart; smaller species go 7–10 cm deep (RHS).

In Berlin the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 25 weeks a year (our estimate from ten years of monthly weather). For this bulb Wisconsin Horticulture Extension gives a cold period of 15–17 weeks at about 2–10 °C. The winter here gives that in the ground, so the bulbs need no pre-chilling.

Crocuses multiply on their own (they naturalise); in a lawn, hold off mowing until their leaves die back (RHS).

Birds, squirrels and rodents damage crocuses; planting under metal mesh may reduce losses (RHS). Spring crocus gives dogs and cats vomiting and diarrhoea; do not confuse it with autumn crocus (Colchicum), which is very toxic (Pet Poison Helpline).

Sources: RHS, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, Pet Poison Helpline.

Crocus in nearby cities

Around Berlin, Zielona Góra is 6 days earlier and Potsdam 2 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Potsdam	27 km	22 October – end of December	2 days later
Szczecin	127 km	18 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Magdeburg	129 km	19 October – end of December	1 day earlier
Leipzig	149 km	18 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Zielona Góra	157 km	14 October – end of December	6 days earlier
Dresden	165 km	19 October – end of December	1 day earlier

Where to buy crocus for planting in Berlin

Planting stock goes into the ground from 20 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Berlin OpenStreetMap lists 38 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 7 plant nurseries, 76 markets and 20 farm shops (collected 7 October 2026).

Supergrün — farm shop
Goerzallee 299, 14167 Berlin · Mon–Fri 09:00–15:00 · 15 km · supergruen.shop
ECF Farmsystems — farm shop
Bessemerstraße 16, 12103 Berlin · Mon–Fri 09:00–19:00; Sat 10:00–16:00 · 7 km · ecf-farm.de
Mosaik Hofladen — farm shop
Fürstenbrunner Weg 70, 14059 Berlin · Mon–Thu 09:00–15:00, Fri 09:00–16:00, Sat 10:00–15:00 · 9 km · mosaik-berlin.de
Mehlwurm Vollkornbäckerei — farm shop
Buckower Damm 130, 12349 Berlin · Fri, Sat 11:00–16:00 · 10 km · britzer-muellerei.de
Lehmanns Bauernmarkt — farm shop
Alt-Marienfelde 35, 12277 Berlin · Tue–Fri 12:00–18:00; Sat 09:00–14:00 · 12 km · lehmanns-bauernmarkt.de
Rahlf — farm shop
Mehrower Dorfstraße 1, 16356 Ahrensfelde · Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00; Sat 09:00–13:00 · 15 km · landhof-rahlf.de
Der Kartoffel Laden — farm shop
Lüderitzstraße 20, 13351 Berlin · Sat 09:00–14:00; Tue, Wed 09:00–17:00; Thu, Fri 09:00–18:00 · 5 km
NaturHofladen — farm shop
Tue–Thu 10:00–17:00; Fri–Sat 10:00–18:00 · 8 km · naturschutzstation-malchow.de

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