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When to plant tulips in Fribourg: 7 October – 30 December

In Fribourg, tulip: plant from 7 October to about 30 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Le Marché du Claru (farm shop, 2 km) and Self service - Ferme Zamofing (farm shop, 6 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 Fribourg: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -3.6 °C.

Planting7 October – 30 December
First autumn frost6 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -3.6 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring6 April
Daylight11:24 on 7 October
Daylight at the winter solstice8:32

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

Tulip in Fribourg: 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 Fribourg the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 30 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 Fribourg the three warmest months bring about 511 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 Fribourg, Sion is 18 days earlier and Neuchâtel 22 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Neuchâtel27 km29 October – end of December22 days later
Bern28 km4 October – 21 December3 days earlier
Sion65 km19 September – 19 November18 days earlier
Lucerne92 km20 September – 29 November17 days earlier
Besançon99 km19 October – end of December12 days later
Geneva102 km18 October – end of December11 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Fribourg

Planting stock goes into the ground from 7 October to about 30 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Fribourg OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 1 plant nursery, 4 markets and 26 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Fribourg?

In Fribourg, tulip: plant from 7 October to about 30 December. 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 Fribourg?

Last spring frost around 26 April, first autumn frost around 6 November.

Other crops in Fribourg, with their dates