No-till Tulips and Other Bulbs

Bulbs can be planted much denser than you might think. Tulips are often planted as close as if in an egg carton, but not quite touching. The key to no-till bulb farming is to bury the bulbs in 3-4 inches of carbonaceous mulch.

You can either lay irrigation, set out the bulbs and cover them with the mulch; or the other way around. Just be careful not to disturb too much soil while you plant them because the deep mulch is also your weed barrier. Burying the drip irrigation under the mulch helps avoid fungal diseases on the plants’ leaves. On top of the mulch can work with taller flowers, such as with lilies, because their leaves will be far above any sprays of water.

It is important to find a mulch that is well composted, not too hot or too woody. In our area, a good supplier is Cedar Grove and a local company that delivers reasonable amounts is Commodities Unlimited or 5 Yard Line. At Here to There Farm, we ordered compost in the fall and let most of it keep biodegrading under large tarps all winter.

These double early tulips “Foxtrot” loved their treatment of deep mulch, with irrigation underneath the bulbs to avoid tulip fire blight or botrytis. We grew them in a gothic style greenhouse with open side walls all winter. First blooms March 15th! We ordered all bulbs from ADR and think we will try pre-vernalized next year for less worry about chilling hours.