When to plant cucumbers
Cucumbers need warm soil (65°F or more) and warm nights. Sow outdoors one to three weeks after the average last frost; seeds rot in cold, wet soil. Trellised plants take much less space and produce straighter, cleaner fruit.
For a steady harvest, sow a second batch three to four weeks after the first. Stop sowing roughly ten weeks before your first fall frost.
CucumberCucumis sativus
- Optional: start indoors in pots
- 3–4 weeks before last frost
- Sow seed outside
- 1–3 weeks after last frost
- Frost
- Frost-tender: killed at 32°F
- Soil temp
- 65°F (18°C) or warmer
- Depth
- ½–1 in
- Spacing
- 12 in apart, rows 48 in · 2 per square foot
- Harvest
- 50–70 days
Your dates for cucumbers
Tips for growing cucumbers
- Grow on a trellis or netting; 12 inches between plants is enough when they climb.
- Keep soil evenly moist: drought makes cucumbers bitter.
- Pick often and young. A single overripe fruit signals the plant to stop setting new ones.
Choosing neighbours? See companion plants for cucumbers. Working out how many fit? Use the spacing calculator.
Cucumbers: common timing questions
Why are my cucumbers bitter?
Stress from heat and uneven watering raises cucurbitacin levels. Water steadily and choose "burpless" varieties.
Can I plant cucumbers in July?
In most areas, yes, as long as 60–70 days remain before your first fall frost.