How to Plant Tulip Bulbs

Every spring when my tulips poke through, I am always super happy that I took the time to plant them. They are like a pretty little reminder that winter can’t last forever.

If you plan on planting tulip bulbs this year, here’s a few tips to get you started:

You want to plant tulips about 6 weeks before the first hard ground freeze {heavy frost}.  You can find that date HERE.  First things first: picking out bulbs.  Make sure to pick plump healthy bulbs.  Soft, shriveled bulbs are a crap shoot–potentially rotten inside with no promise of flowering.

Second, dig a hole that is approximately 2-3 times the height of the bulb.  Put the bulb in the hole pointed side up, root side down and cover it with dirt.

You do not need to water the bulbs, in fact, you shouldn’t.  If they sit in water, they could rot before they have a chance to bloom.  Over the winter, they will receive all of the water they need naturally from the elements.

Basically, they are a super hardy and forgiving plant.  They require planting and then sheer neglect. Ah, if only all relationships could be so simple!

Will you be planting any tulips this fall?

~Mavis

Gardening books hold kind of a special place in my heart. I wouldn’t be the gardener I am today {or maybe not a gardener at all} if it weren’t for a few gardening books I picked up years ago. I spent almost the entire winter of 2008/2009 reading up on gardening. I found some incredible reads that taught me so much and made me realize how much I didn’t know. So I’ve never stopped reading gardening books.

Here are just a few of my favorites, although if we’re being honest, narrowing this list down was virtually impossible. Gardening books are right up there with the bible {okay, not quite, but you get the idea!}.

My Favorite Garden Books:

• Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting
• The Complete Compost Gardening Guide
• Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre
• Sugar Snaps and Strawberries 
• The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food
• The Kitchen Gardener’s Handbook