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When to plant tulips in Ithaca: 9 October – 4 December

In Ithaca, tulip: plant from 9 October to about 4 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Ithaca Agway & True Value (garden centre, 1 km) and Green Tree (garden centre, 4 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 Ithaca: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, January, averages -6.3 °C.

Planting9 October – 4 December
First autumn frost8 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -6.3 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring12 April
Daylight11:24 on 9 October
Daylight at the winter solstice9:04

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

Tulip in Ithaca: 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 Ithaca the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 26 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 Ithaca the three warmest months bring about 336 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 Ithaca, Toronto is 9 days earlier and Rochester 4 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Syracuse (United States)74 km7 October – 28 November2 days earlier
Rochester121 km13 October – 14 December4 days later
Buffalo201 km11 October – 6 December2 days later
Allentown222 km4 October – 30 December5 days earlier
Albany226 km7 October – 30 November2 days earlier
Toronto270 km30 September – 25 November9 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Ithaca

Planting stock goes into the ground from 9 October to about 4 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Ithaca OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 3 plant nurseries, 6 markets and 3 farm shops (collected 29 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Ithaca?

In Ithaca, tulip: plant from 9 October to about 4 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 Ithaca?

Last spring frost around 28 April, first autumn frost around 8 November.

Other crops in Ithaca, with their dates