When to plant tulips in Elko: 13 September – 15 November

In Elko, tulip: plant from 13 September to about 15 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.

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 Elko: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -9.1 °C.

Planting	13 September – 15 November
First autumn frost	13 October
Coldest nights	January, -9.1 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring	9 April
Daylight	12:36 on 13 September
Daylight at the winter solstice	9:14

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

Tulip in Elko: 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 Elko the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 28 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 Elko the three warmest months bring about 26 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

All the nearest cities on our list plant tulip later than Elko; the closest date is in Idaho Falls, 1 day later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Boise	310 km	27 September – end of December	14 days later
Salt Lake City	324 km	26 September – 23 December	13 days later
Reno	375 km	28 September – end of December	15 days later
Carson City	391 km	22 September – end of December	9 days later
Idaho Falls	425 km	14 September – 14 November	1 day later
Las Vegas	522 km	by 12 November	60 days later

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