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When to plant tulips in Fairbanks: 24 August – 2 October

In Fairbanks, tulip: plant from 24 August to about 2 October. For planting stock, the places nearby include The Plant Kingdom Greenhouse and Nursery, Inc (garden centre, 6 km) and Ann's Greenhouses (garden centre, 12 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 Fairbanks: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in October–April; the coldest, January, averages -22.3 °C.

Planting24 August – 2 October
First autumn frost23 September
Coldest nightsJanuary, -22.3 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring10 May
Daylight15:37 on 24 August
Daylight at the winter solstice3:42

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

Tulip in Fairbanks: 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 Fairbanks the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 35 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 Fairbanks the three warmest months bring about 214 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 Fairbanks; the closest date is in Whitehorse, 5 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Anchorage417 km14 September – 18 October21 days later
Whitehorse788 km29 August – 7 October5 days later
Juneau1,008 km6 September – 12 October13 days later
Yellowknife1,648 km4 September – 4 October11 days later
Vancouver2,252 km18 October – end of December55 days later
Edmonton2,275 km6 September – 19 October13 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Fairbanks

Planting stock goes into the ground from 24 August to about 2 October; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Fairbanks OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres and 2 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Fairbanks?

In Fairbanks, tulip: plant from 24 August to about 2 October. 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 Fairbanks?

Last spring frost around 8 May, first autumn frost around 23 September.

Other crops in Fairbanks, with their dates