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When to plant tulips in Galway: by 29 October

In Galway, tulip: plant by 29 October. The winter here is too mild for our late-planting rule, so we give no later limit. For planting stock, the places nearby include Woodie's Garden Centre (garden centre, 1 km) and Dangan House Garden Centre (garden centre, 3 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tulip in Galway: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 4 °C.

Plantingby 29 October
First autumn frost28 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, 4 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring21 January
Daylight9:43 on 29 October
Daylight at the winter solstice7:31

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

Tulip in Galway: 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 Galway the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 25 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 Galway the three warmest months bring about 355 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 earlier than Galway; the closest date is in Athlone, 2 days earlier.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Athlone76 km27 October – end of December2 days earlier
Sligo118 km22 October – end of December7 days earlier
Tralee119 kmby 23 October6 days earlier
Cork157 km22 October – end of December7 days earlier
Waterford172 kmby 21 October8 days earlier
Dublin186 km25 October – end of December4 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Galway

Planting stock goes into the ground by 29 October; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Galway OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Galway?

In Galway, tulip: plant by 29 October. The winter here is too mild for our late-planting rule, so we give no later limit.

When is the last spring frost in Galway?

Last spring frost around 17 March, first autumn frost around 28 November.

Other crops in Galway, with their dates