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When to plant tulips in Pittsburgh: 10 October – 22 December

In Pittsburgh, tulip: plant from 10 October to about 22 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Shrubs-N-Stuff (garden centre, 15 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 Pittsburgh: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -5 °C.

Planting10 October – 22 December
First autumn frost9 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -5 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring13 March
Daylight11:24 on 10 October
Daylight at the winter solstice9:17

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

Tulip in Pittsburgh: 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 Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh the three warmest months bring about 394 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 Pittsburgh, Columbus is 7 days earlier and Cleveland 12 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Cleveland185 km22 October – 23 December12 days later
Erie188 km20 October – 22 December10 days later
Columbus260 km3 October – 25 December7 days earlier
Charleston, West Virginia271 km8 October – end of December2 days earlier
Buffalo288 km11 October – 6 December1 day later
Washington, D.C.305 km17 October – end of December7 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Pittsburgh

Planting stock goes into the ground from 10 October to about 22 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Pittsburgh OpenStreetMap lists 11 garden centres, 4 plant nurseries, 23 markets and 4 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Pittsburgh?

In Pittsburgh, tulip: plant from 10 October to about 22 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 Pittsburgh?

Last spring frost around 19 April, first autumn frost around 9 November.

Other crops in Pittsburgh, with their dates