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When to plant tulips in Green Bay: 30 September – 17 November

In Green Bay, tulip: plant from 30 September to about 17 November.

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 Green Bay: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -9.8 °C.

Planting30 September – 17 November
First autumn frost30 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -9.8 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring11 April
Daylight11:48 on 30 September
Daylight at the winter solstice8:49

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

Tulip in Green Bay: 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 Green Bay the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 27 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 Green Bay the three warmest months bring about 290 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 Green Bay, Madison is 3 days earlier and Traverse City 10 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Milwaukee165 km2 October – 25 November2 days later
Traverse City192 km10 October – 26 November10 days later
Madison196 km27 September – 20 November3 days earlier
Grand Rapids256 km4 October – 29 November4 days later
Rockford265 km28 September – 25 November2 days earlier
Chicago295 km7 October – 3 December7 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Green Bay

Planting stock goes into the ground from 30 September to about 17 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Green Bay OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 2 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Green Bay?

In Green Bay, tulip: plant from 30 September to about 17 November. 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 Green Bay?

Last spring frost around 29 April, first autumn frost around 30 October.

Other crops in Green Bay, with their dates