How to Plant and Harvest Daffodil & Tulip Bulbs

Tulips and daffodils

Tulips and daffodils bring the first of spring color to beds and borders in the garden. Planted in fall before the first frost, they wait patiently underground to bloom in early spring. Planting bulbs properly ensures maximum blooming once the weather begins to warm. After the blooms fade, harvest daffodil bulbs for dividing or dig up both daffodils and tulips for transplanting to another part of the garden for the following year if they didn't bloom very well this year.

Things You'll Need

• Compost
• Spade
• Mulch
• Plant markers
• Shears
• Plastic bags
• Peat moss
• Vermiculite

Instructions

Planting Bulbs

1. Choose a well drained bed in full sun for your spring bulbs. Improve drainage by raising the bed level 3 inches by working in compost.

2. Dig planting holes with a spade to a depth three times that of the bulb's circumference. Space the holes 4 to 6 inches apart in rows or clusters.

3. Place the bulbs in the hole pointed side up and root side down. Cover with soil and firm the soil gently with your hands.

4. Water the bed thoroughly so the soil is moist but not soaking wet. Keep the soil moist until the first hard freeze forces the bulbs into dormancy.

5. Cover in an organic mulch such as bark or straw. This maintains soil temperature, moisture and keeps weeds from growing but the flowers will have no problems growing through it in spring.

Harvesting Bulbs

1. Wait for the daffodils and tulips to quit blooming and for the foliage to die back naturally in early to mid-summer. Mark the location of the plants with plant markers so you can easily find the bulbs once the leaves die.

2. Cut any remaining foliage down to 3 inches in height with sharp shears.

3. Dig 5 inches out around the bulbs to loosen the soil. Lever the spade beneath the bulbs and lift them out of the ground.

4. Divide the daffodil bulbs by carefully twisting new bulbs away from the older ones. Check both the tulip and daffodil bulbs for soft spot and signs of rot and save only the healthy ones.

5. Store the bulbs in perforated plastic bags filled with dry peat moss or vermiculite if you won't be replanting right away. Store for up to 4 months in a cool, dark place.

Tips & Warnings

• Areas that are shaded by deciduous trees will be in full sun in spring before the leaves grow in, making them a good area for spring bulbs. Use a bulb planter, a tool that digs holes for bulbs, to plant a large area quicker.

• Squirrels, deer and other pests will dig up and eat tulip bulbs. Plant in bulb cages if this is an issue.

References

• University of Illinois Extension
• Doug Green