Can Tulip Bulbs Be Planted in Late Winter or Early Spring?

Time to Plant

• The best time to plant tulip bulbs is in late summer though fall. According to a 1998 article in The New York Times, planting is usually best accomplished before November's Election Day. The reasons are to ensure blooms in spring and to plant before the ground becomes frozen. North Dakota State University says "pack [tulip bulbs] in dampened peat moss and store them in a refrigerator or outdoors" for the winter, then plant them outside as soon as the ground thaws.

Depth and Spacing

• Plant bulbs at a depth and spacing three times the height of the bulb. For tulips, that usually means planting 4 to 6 inches apart and 4 to 8 inches deep.

Where to Plant

• Tulips do best in full sun and in moist, well-drained soil but they are tolerant of a wide range of soil and shade conditions. The first year, tulips are likely to do well in most any environment because bulbs are energy storehouses that contain most everything the young plant will need.