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When to plant tulips in Albany: 7 October – 30 November

In Albany, tulip: plant from 7 October to about 30 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Lansing's Farm (farm shop, 15 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 date is about two weeks before the average daily temperature here falls below 0 °C (ten years of weather): an estimate, not the day the ground freezes, and a cold spell can freeze it earlier. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS, how the ground freezes (NRC Canada, CBD-26).

Tulip in Albany: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, January, averages -6.7 °C.

Planting7 October – 30 November
First autumn frost6 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -6.7 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring5 April
Daylight11:29 on 7 October
Daylight at the winter solstice9:03

The same dates in Albany hold for Garlic, Daffodil, Crocus and Hyacinth.

Tulip in Albany: depth, winter cold, pests and pets

Plant tulips at a depth of two to three times the bulb’s height, at least twice the bulb’s width apart, pointed end up (RHS). Where winters are very cold, tulips benefit from deeper planting to protect them from frost penetrating the soil (RHS); here the average daily temperature drops below 0 °C in winter.

In Albany 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.

Border tulips often fail to flower in their second year if left in the ground, so many gardeners grow them for one spring and plant fresh bulbs each autumn; Darwin hybrid and Kaufmanniana tulips reflower more reliably (RHS). Soils that stay wet in summer make reflowering difficult (RHS): in Albany the three warmest months bring about 322 mm of rain together.

Grey squirrels often dig up tulip bulbs: lay chicken wire over the bed until the leaves appear, or plant daffodils among them, which squirrels avoid (RHS). Tulips are toxic to dogs, cats and horses, the bulb most of all (ASPCA).

Sources: RHS, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, ASPCA.

Tulip in nearby cities

Around Albany, Montpelier is 20 days earlier and New Haven 6 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
New Haven164 km13 October – end of December6 days later
Concord191 km1 October – 25 November6 days earlier
Manchester (United States)191 km3 October – 27 November4 days earlier
Syracuse (United States)199 km7 October – 28 Novembersame day
Montpelier204 km17 September – 11 November20 days earlier
Burlington208 km4 October – 23 November3 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Albany

Planting stock goes into the ground from 7 October to about 30 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Albany OpenStreetMap lists 11 garden centres, 7 markets and 3 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Albany?

In Albany, tulip: plant from 7 October to about 30 November. 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.

When is the last spring frost in Albany?

Last spring frost around 17 April, first autumn frost around 6 November.

Other crops in Albany, with their dates