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When to plant tulips in Grand Island: 27 September – 1 December

In Grand Island, tulip: plant from 27 September to about 1 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.

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 Grand Island: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -7.5 °C.

Planting27 September – 1 December
First autumn frost27 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -7.5 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring14 March
Daylight11:58 on 27 September
Daylight at the winter solstice9:14

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

Tulip in Grand Island: 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 Grand Island the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 23 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 Grand Island the three warmest months bring about 217 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 Grand Island, Sioux Falls is 6 days earlier and Wichita 3 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Lincoln143 km28 September – 7 December1 day later
Omaha206 km26 September – 30 November1 day earlier
Topeka309 km29 September – 30 December2 days later
Sioux Falls321 km21 September – 16 November6 days earlier
Wichita370 km30 September – end of December3 days later
Dodge City379 km29 September – end of December2 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Grand Island

Planting stock goes into the ground from 27 September to about 1 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Grand Island OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Grand Island?

In Grand Island, tulip: plant from 27 September to about 1 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 Grand Island?

Last spring frost around 19 April, first autumn frost around 27 October.

Other crops in Grand Island, with their dates