When to plant tulips in Erfurt: 8 October – end of December

In Erfurt, tulip: plant from 8 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Gartencenter Zimmermann (garden centre, 2 km) and Kakteen-Haage (garden centre, 2 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.

Tulip in Erfurt: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in January, February; the coldest, January, averages -0.9 °C.

Planting	8 October – end of December
First autumn frost	7 November
Coldest nights	January, -0.9 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring	22 March
Daylight	11:13 on 8 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:55

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

Tulip in Erfurt: 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).

In Erfurt the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 26 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 Erfurt the three warmest months bring about 185 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 Erfurt, Nuremberg is 4 days earlier and Hanover 14 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Leipzig	102 km	18 October – end of December	10 days later
Magdeburg	134 km	19 October – end of December	11 days later
Nuremberg	170 km	4 October – end of December	4 days earlier
Hanover	179 km	22 October – end of December	14 days later
Dresden	190 km	19 October – end of December	11 days later
Frankfurt	192 km	18 October – end of December	10 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Erfurt

Planting stock goes into the ground from 8 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Erfurt OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 6 plant nurseries, 3 markets and 15 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Kakteen-Haage — garden centre
Blumenstraße 68, 99092 Erfurt · Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00; Sat 10:00–15:00; Sun, public holidays closed · 2 km · kakteen-haage.de
Gartencenter Zimmermann — garden centre
Leipziger Straße 75b, 99085 Erfurt · 2 km · gartencenter-erfurt.de
OBI Erfurt Nord — garden centre
Augsburger Straße 10 · Mon–Sat 08:00–20:00 · 3 km
Erfurter Wochenmarkt — market
Mon–Sat 06:30–14:00 · 1 km · erfurt.de
Wochenmarkt am Moskauer Platz — market
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun, public holidays closed; Tue, Thu 09:00–17:00; Sat 08:00–12:00 · 4 km · erfurt.de
Riethmarkt — market
Mon 09:00–17:00; Wed 09:00–17:00; Fri 09:00–17:00 · 3 km
RWZ Agrarzentrum Walschleben — farm supply
Bahnhofstraße 10, 99189 Walschleben · 11 km · rwz.de
Raiffeisen Waren — farm supply
Kreuzweg 4, 99869 Drei Gleichen · 15 km · rw.net

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