When to Plant Cucumbers
Cucumbers are a tender warm-season vegetable. Frost damages them, so they go out only after the last spring frost.
Start seeds indoors 1 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out 1 to 3 weeks after the last frost. Or sow them where they will grow, 1 to 3 weeks after the last spring frost. For a fall crop, sow 12 to 14 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 50 to 65 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | Apr 24 – May 8 |
| Harden off | Mar 15 – 21 | Apr 15 – 21 | May 15 – 21 |
| Plant out | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 22 – May 6 | May 22 – Jun 5 |
| Harvest | Apr 13 – May 11 | May 14 – Jun 11 | Jun 13 – Jul 11 |
| Direct-sown: Sow outdoors | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 22 – May 6 | May 22 – Jun 5 |
| Direct-sown: Harvest | May 11 – Jun 8 | Jun 11 – Jul 9 | Jul 11 – Aug 8 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Aug 9 – 23 | Jul 19 – Aug 2 | Jun 24 – Jul 8 |
| Fall: Harvest | Sep 28 – Oct 26 | Sep 7 – Oct 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 10 |
Growing cucumbers
Train vines up a trellis to save space and pick fruit young and often to keep plants producing.
- Spacing: 12 in apart, in rows 48 in apart. In a raised bed, 2 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 50 to 65 from sowing, then about 4 weeks of picking.
- Successions: sow again every 21 days for a steady supply. See succession planting.
- Rotation: cucumbers are in the squash family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: basil, borage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, bush bean, cabbage, cauliflower, chamomile (german), cherry tomato, collards, dill, head lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, marigold, nasturtium, oregano, pea (shelling/snap/snow), pole bean, radish, romaine lettuce, sunflower, sweet corn, tomato. See companion plants for cucumbers.
- Usually kept apart from: potato, sage.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant cucumbers and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start cucumbers indoors?
1 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Mar 25 – Apr 8. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can cucumbers go in before the last frost?
No. Cucumbers are damaged by frost: plant them out 1 to 3 weeks after the last spring frost.
How long do cucumbers take to grow?
About 50 to 65 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 4 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow cucumbers in fall?
Yes. Sow 12 to 14 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
How often should I sow cucumbers?
Every 21 days or so for a steady harvest, until the last sowing that still ripens before your first fall frost. The planner works that date out for your ZIP code.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Germination Requirements for Annuals and Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Cucumbers in the Home Garden
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah
- Montana State University Extension: Can I Grow That Here? Vegetable Seed and Transplant Schedules (MontGuide MT199308AG, rev. 2018)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Companion Planting (Food Hero, 2021)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Utah State University Extension, Utah 4-H: Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Companion Planting (2025)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- N.C. A&T State University Cooperative Extension: Five Veggies You Can Grow at Home