When to plant crocuses in Dortmund: 17 October – end of December

In Dortmund, crocus: plant from 17 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Bauernladen Niermann (farm shop, 11 km) and Hofladen Lüning (farm shop, 11 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 Dortmund: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 0.7 °C.

Planting	17 October – end of December
First autumn frost	16 November
Coldest nights	January, 0.7 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Daylight	10:38 on 17 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:50

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

Crocus in Dortmund: 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 Dortmund 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

All the nearest cities on our list plant crocus later than Dortmund; the closest date is in Bielefeld, 2 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Duisburg	50 km	23 October – end of December	6 days later
Düsseldorf	57 km	22 October – end of December	5 days later
Cologne	73 km	21 October – end of December	4 days later
Bielefeld	92 km	19 October – end of December	2 days later
Hasselt	162 km	19 October – end of December	2 days later
Liège	165 km	20 October – end of December	3 days later

Where to buy crocus for planting in Dortmund

Planting stock goes into the ground from 17 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Dortmund OpenStreetMap lists 24 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 3 plant nurseries, 21 markets and 35 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Bauernladen Niermann — farm shop
Kirchender Dorfweg 26, 58313 Herdecke · Mon–Fri 08:00–18:30; Sat 08:00–13:00 · 11 km · bauernladen-niermann.de
Hofladen Sprave — farm shop
Husener Straße 131, 44319 Dortmund · Mon 09:00–18:00; Wed–Fri 09:00–18:00; Sat 09:00–14:00; Tue, Sun, public holidays closed · 11 km · hofladen-sprave.de
Hof Menken — farm shop
Oststraße 153, 44577 Castrop-Rauxel · Mon–Fri 08:00–18:30; Sat 08:00–17:00; Sun 10:00–17:00 · 11 km · hof-menken.de
Hof Dingebauer — farm shop
Oststraße 141, 44577 Castrop-Rauxel · Thu–Fri 09:00–13:00, 15:00–18:30; Sat 09:00–13:00 · 11 km · hof-dingebauer.de
Wulhorst — farm shop
Tinkhofstraße 184, 45731 Waltrop · Tue–Fri 08:30–18:30; Sat 08:00–17:00; Sun 10:00–12:00 · 12 km · hofladen-wulhorst.de
Hof Sanders — farm shop
Hebewerkstraße 73, 44581 Castrop-Rauxel · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:30; Sat 09:00–18:00; Sun 10:00–18:00 · 15 km · hof-sanders.de
Klöcker's Hofladen — farm shop
Hebewerkstraße 119, 44581 Castrop-Rauxel · Sat 08:00–17:00; Sun 10:00–17:00; Tue–Fri 08:00–18:30; public holidays 10:00–17:00 · 15 km · hof-kloecker.de
Hofladen Lüning — farm shop
Am Burhag 51, 44329 Dortmund · 11 km · hof-lüning.de

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