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When to plant tulips in Santa Barbara: by 15 November

In Santa Barbara, tulip: plant by 15 November. The winter here is too mild for our late-planting rule, so we give no later limit. For planting stock, the places nearby include 7 Day Nursery (garden centre, 4 km) and Green Coast (farm supply, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tulip in Santa Barbara: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in February, average 3.7 °C.

Plantingby 15 November
First autumn frost15 December
Coldest nightsFebruary, 3.7 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in springalready in the first week of January
Daylight10:23 on 15 November
Daylight at the winter solstice9:51

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

Tulip in Santa Barbara: 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 Santa Barbara the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 11 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. That is less than the bulbs need, and without more cold they may not flower properly. Where winters are not cold enough for long enough, LSU AgCenter keeps tulip and hyacinth bulbs in the refrigerator for at least six to eight weeks before planting, and plants them only once the soil has cooled: warm soil can cancel the chilling. Keep fruit out of that refrigerator — ripening fruit gives off ethylene, which harms the flowers (Wisconsin Horticulture Extension).

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 Santa Barbara the three warmest months bring about 13 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, LSU AgCenter, ASPCA.

Tulip in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant tulip earlier than Santa Barbara; the closest date is in Las Vegas, 3 days earlier.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Fresno259 kmby 5 November10 days earlier
Stockton419 kmby 3 November12 days earlier
Las Vegas457 kmby 12 November3 days earlier
Sacramento489 kmby 11 November4 days earlier
Carson City527 km22 September – end of December54 days earlier
Reno568 km28 September – end of December48 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Santa Barbara

Planting stock goes into the ground by 15 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Santa Barbara OpenStreetMap lists 4 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 2 plant nurseries, 1 market and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Santa Barbara?

In Santa Barbara, tulip: plant by 15 November. The winter here is too mild for our late-planting rule, so we give no later limit.

When is the last spring frost in Santa Barbara?

Last spring frost around 15 March, first autumn frost around 15 December.

Other crops in Santa Barbara, with their dates