When to plant tulips in Stuttgart: 9 October – end of December

In Stuttgart, tulip: plant from 9 October to the end of 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 average daily temperature here stays above 0 °C all winter, and at least three months average 7 °C or less: our rule of thumb for the winter cold spring bulbs need. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS.

Tulip in Stuttgart: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in January; the coldest, January, averages -1.2 °C.

Planting	9 October – end of December
First autumn frost	8 November
Coldest nights	January, -1.2 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring	21 March
Daylight	11:14 on 9 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:15

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

Tulip in Stuttgart: 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 Stuttgart the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 25 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 Stuttgart the three warmest months bring about 250 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 Stuttgart, Nuremberg is 5 days earlier and Wiesbaden 15 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Karlsruhe	62 km	20 October – end of December	11 days later
Strasbourg	108 km	21 October – end of December	12 days later
St. Gallen	152 km	19 October – end of December	10 days later
Frankfurt	152 km	18 October – end of December	9 days later
Nuremberg	157 km	4 October – end of December	5 days earlier
Wiesbaden	160 km	24 October – end of December	15 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Stuttgart

Planting stock goes into the ground from 9 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Stuttgart OpenStreetMap lists 34 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 10 plant nurseries, 28 markets and 99 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Markthalle — market
Dorotheenstraße 4, 70173 Stuttgart · Mon–Fri 07:30–18:30, Sat 07:00–17:00 · 0 km · markthalle-stuttgart.de
Markthalle Waiblingen — market
Lange Straße 30, 71332 Waiblingen · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00; Sat 09:00–13:00 · 12 km · markthalle-waiblingen.de
Esslinger Wochenmarkt — market
Marktplatz, Esslingen · Wed 07:00–12:30; Sat 07:00–12:30 · 10 km · esslinger-wochenmarkt-ev.de
Wochenmarkt am Bismarckplatz — market
Bismarckplatz · Tue, Thu, Sat 07:00–12:30 · 2 km · stuttgarter-wochenmaerkte.de
Cannstatter Wochenmarkt — market
Tue 07:00–12:30; Thu 07:00–12:30; Sat 07:00–13:00 · 4 km · stuttgarter-wochenmaerkte.de
Wochenmarkt Zuffenhausen — market
Sat 07:00–12:30 · 6 km · stuttgarter-wochenmaerkte.de
Wochenmarkt Vaihingen — market
Wed, Sat 07:00–12:30 · 8 km · stuttgarter-wochenmaerkte.de
Wochenmarkt Echterdingen — market
Wed 07:00–12:00; Sat 07:00–12:00 · 10 km · leinfelden-echterdingen.de

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