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When to plant tulips in Duluth: 28 September – 10 November

In Duluth, tulip: plant from 28 September to about 10 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Growing Duluth (garden centre, 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 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 Duluth: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -11.8 °C.

Planting28 September – 10 November
First autumn frost28 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -11.8 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring4 May
Daylight11:54 on 28 September
Daylight at the winter solstice8:32

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

Tulip in Duluth: 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 Duluth the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 29 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 Duluth the three warmest months bring about 263 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 Duluth, Winnipeg is 16 days earlier and Green Bay 2 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Minneapolis219 km24 September – 10 November4 days earlier
Thunder Bay279 km23 September – 30 October5 days earlier
Fargo356 km16 September – 4 November12 days earlier
Green Bay405 km30 September – 17 November2 days later
Madison464 km27 September – 20 November1 day earlier
Winnipeg508 km12 September – 26 October16 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Duluth

Planting stock goes into the ground from 28 September to about 10 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Duluth OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre and 1 market (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Duluth?

In Duluth, tulip: plant from 28 September to about 10 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 Duluth?

Last spring frost around 28 April, first autumn frost around 28 October.

Other crops in Duluth, with their dates