When to Plant Cucumbers
Sow cucumbers outside 1 to 4 weeks after your last frost, and again 11 to 13 weeks before your first fall frost for a fall crop.
Cucumbers at a glance
- Sow outside
- 1 to 4 weeks after your last frost
- Fall sowing
- 11 to 13 weeks before your first fall frost
- Time to harvest
- 50 to 70 days from sowing
- Harvest lasts
- about 8 weeks
- Spacing
- 2 per square foot
- Frost
- Tender: frost kills it
Growing cucumbers
Sow cucumbers in warm soil and full sun, about an inch deep. They drink a lot, so water deeply and often, and keep the leaves dry to slow down mildew. Slicing kinds are picked at six to eight inches, pickling kinds smaller. Bees carry pollen from the male flowers to the female ones, which have a tiny cucumber at their base, so a few flowers nearby for the bees make a real difference to the crop.
Dates by hardiness zone
Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.
| Zone | Sow | Sow for fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Jun 4–29 | – | Jul 24 – Sep 14 |
| Zone 3b | May 24 – Jul 10 | – | Jul 13 – Sep 18 |
| Zone 4a | May 19 – Jun 9 | Jun 29 – Jul 13 | Jul 8 – Sep 28 |
| Zone 4b | May 15 – Jun 5 | Jul 2–16 | Jul 4 – Oct 1 |
| Zone 5a | May 10–31 | Jul 6–20 | Jun 29 – Oct 5 |
| Zone 5b | May 8–29 | Jul 11–25 | Jun 27 – Aug 22 · Aug 30 – Oct 10 |
| Zone 6a | May 6–27 | Jul 17–31 | Jun 25 – Aug 20 · Sep 5 – Oct 16 |
| Zone 6b | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jul 23 – Aug 6 | Jun 19 – Aug 14 · Sep 11 – Oct 22 |
| Zone 7a | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jul 26 – Aug 9 | Jun 12 – Aug 7 · Sep 14 – Oct 25 |
| Zone 7b | Apr 12 – May 3 | Aug 2–16 | Jun 1 – Jul 27 · Sep 21 – Nov 1 |
| Zone 8a | Apr 5–26 | Aug 8–22 | May 25 – Jul 20 · Sep 27 – Nov 7 |
| Zone 8b | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Aug 14–28 | May 13 – Jul 8 · Oct 3 – Nov 13 |
| Zone 9a | Mar 9–30 | Aug 27 – Sep 10 | Apr 28 – Jun 23 · Oct 16 – Nov 26 |
| Zone 9b | Feb 15 – Mar 8Nights are still cool before mid-February, so this starts a little later. | Sep 15–29 | Apr 6 – Jun 1 · Nov 4 – Dec 15 |
| Zone 10a | Feb 15 – Mar 8 | Sep 27 – Oct 11 | Apr 6 – Jun 1 · Nov 16 – Dec 27 |
| Zones 10b–11b | Frost is rare here, so cucumbers can go in from late winter, and again in late summer for a fall crop. | ||
Good neighbors
Keep apart from
Questions about cucumbers
Should cucumbers climb?
A trellis or fence saves space and keeps the fruit straight and clean. Vining kinds climb on their own once you guide the first tendrils; bush kinds stay compact for small beds and pots.
Why are my cucumbers bitter?
Stress is the usual cause: dry soil or a hot spell. Water deeply and evenly, and mulch to keep the soil moist. The bitterness is mostly in the skin and near the stem end.
