Cucumbers

When to start, transplant and harvest cucumbers, as 5 university extension services put it, and what that means in each zone.

Family: Cucurbitaceae5
Type: Squash family
Rules: 8
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02

Garden experts do not always agree, so I show every rule side by side.

Spring timing, source by source

Every rule counts from the last spring frost, so the same rule gives different dates in different gardens. Here are the rules themselves before any dates are worked out.

Colorado StateSow outdoorsColorado State: Sow outdoors on the last frost
Utah StateSow outdoorsUtah State: Sow outdoors on the last frost
Oregon State, central ORTransplant outdoorsOregon State, central OR: Transplant outdoors 1 weeks after last frost
Oregon State, central ORStart indoorsOregon State, central OR: Start indoors 2 weeks before last frost
Texas A&M (E-502)Sow outdoorsTexas A&M (E-502): Sow outdoors 1-6 weeks after last frost

Plant outdoors
Start indoors

Figure 1. How each extension source times cucumbers in spring, in weeks before or after the last frost. Sources disagree; each bar is one publication's rule, shown as written.

Fall timing, source by source

Fall rules count from the first fall frost.

Texas A&M (E-502)Plant for fallTexas A&M (E-502): Plant for fall 10-12 weeks before first frost

Plant outdoors

Figure 2. How each extension source times cucumbers in fall, in weeks before or after the first frost. Rules written for warm states sit weeks earlier than those for cold ones.

Table 1. Planting rules for cucumbers, as published.
Source	Written for	What	When
Colorado State1	CO	Sow outdoors	On the last frost
Utah State2	UT	Sow outdoors	On the last frost
Oregon State, central OR8	central Oregon	Transplant outdoors	1 weeks after last frost
Oregon State, central OR8	central Oregon	Start indoors	2 weeks before last frost
Texas A&M (E-502)4	TX	Sow outdoors	1-6 weeks after last frost
Texas A&M (E-502)4	TX	Plant for fall	10-12 weeks before first frost
Nebraska (G1343)9	NE	Plant for fall	Count back days to maturity + 14-day fall factor (+14 for tender crops) from the first frost

Cucumbers by hardiness zone

Applied to the frost records of every ZIP in each zone. The zone median is a starting point; your own station can be weeks earlier or later.

Table 2. Outdoor planting for cucumbers by zone, using the Oregon State, central OR rule. Linked zones have their own page.
Zone	What	Zone median	Across most of the zone
4a	Transplant outdoors	May 19	May 12 – May 31
4b	Transplant outdoors	May 15	May 8 – Jun 1
5a	Transplant outdoors	May 10	May 3 – May 27
5b	Transplant outdoors	May 8	Apr 28 – May 24
6a	Transplant outdoors	May 5	Apr 23 – May 17
6b	Transplant outdoors	Apr 29	Apr 17 – May 10
7a	Transplant outdoors	Apr 23	Apr 11 – May 5
7b	Transplant outdoors	Apr 12	Apr 6 – Apr 24
8a	Transplant outdoors	Apr 5	Mar 27 – Apr 14
8b	Transplant outdoors	Mar 24	Mar 13 – Apr 8
9a	Transplant outdoors	Mar 9	Feb 23 – Mar 25

Growing facts

Table 3. Each value as one source states it. Sources measure differently, so values are not averaged.
Fact	Value	Source
Frost tolerance	tender	Colorado State1
Frost tolerance	tender	Utah State2
Frost tolerance	tender	Purdue (HO-66)3
Minimum soil temperature	60°F	Colorado State1
Best soil temperature	90°F	Colorado State1
Days to germinate	6-10 days	Colorado State1
Days to germinate	6-10 days	Texas A&M (E-502)4
Days to maturity	55 days from planting	Colorado State1
Days to maturity	50-70 days from planting	Texas A&M (E-502)4
Days to maturity	40-65 days from seed	UF/IFAS Florida5
Days to maturity	60-90 days from planting	Arizona (AZ1005)6
Spacing	6 in apart each way	Colorado State1
Spacing	24-36 in apart each way	Colorado State1
Spacing	8-12 in in the row, rows 48-72 in apart	Texas A&M (E-502)4
Spacing	6-12 in in the row, rows 48 in apart	UF/IFAS Florida5
Heat limit	90°F	purdue-hot-weather7

Companions, and how sure anyone is

Marigold · No clear effect Tested in a study
Claimed: marigold root exudates suppress nematodes. Field tests intercropping cucumber and squash with French marigold found no consistent effect on soil nematodes.10 10 10 11 11
Powers et al. 1993 (Honduras field tests, 90 days). UF/IFAS ENY-056, citing that study, adds the marigold intercrop was less productive than cucurbit monoculture. Marigold reduces root-knot nematodes only as a cover crop grown at least 2 months before the vegetable on the same site.
Blue Hubbard squash · Trap crop Tested in a study
A border of Blue Hubbard squash, which striped cucumber beetles prefer, encircles the cucumbers; beetles concentrate on the border, which is then sprayed.12 12 12 13 13
UConn 2003 plot trial: the sprayed Blue Hubbard border raised cucumber yield 33% and cut total plant death from 30% to 14% vs unsprayed all-cucumber controls. Depends on spraying the border as beetles arrive and on a complete, gap-free perimeter. Farm-scale trials; garden-scale effect not tested.
Potatoes · Avoid together Traditional pairing14
Tomatoes · Helps Traditional pairing14
Beans · Helps Traditional pairing14
Bush beans in the chart.
Peas · Helps Traditional pairing14
Lettuce · Helps Traditional pairing14

Traditional pairings come from a UC Master Gardener chart that traces to the UC Davis Edible Landscaping Handbook and ATTRA. The chart gives no reasons, and we found no trial of these pairs; treat them as garden lore.

All cucumbers companions, with sources · The full companion chart

Sources

Colorado State University Extension, Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720), reviewed September 2024. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Utah State University Extension, Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah, January 2018; revised May 2025. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Purdue Extension, The Fall Vegetable Garden (HO-66-W), reviewed September 2019. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Texas AgriLife Extension Service, The Texas A&M System, Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide (E-502), 2/09. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
University of Florida, IFAS Extension (Department of Horticultural Sciences), Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103 / VH021), Original December 1999; revised October 2015, January 2016, May 2018, September 2020, September 2021, and June 2025. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (AZ1005), reviewed This information has been reviewed by University faculty.. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Purdue University, Indiana Yard and Garden (Purdue Consumer Horticulture), Hot Weather Is Tough on Plants Too!, reviewed Page last modified October 26, 2016. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Oregon State University Extension Service, When to start seeds indoors in central Oregon, reviewed 2024. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension, Fall Vegetable Gardening (NebGuide G1343), Revised March 2012. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Journal of Nematology 25(4):666-673 (Society of Nematologists); FLVC journal host, Effects of Mixed Cropping on a Soil Nematode Community in Honduras, 1993. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
University of Florida, IFAS Extension (Entomology and Nematology Department), Marigolds (Tagetes spp.) for Nematode Management (ENY-056), reviewed Reviewed November 2019; page footer "Reviewed: 01/2024". Retrieved 2026-11-02.
University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System (UConn IPM), Protecting Cucumbers From Beetles and Wilt With Perimeter Trap Cropping, reviewed Reviewed 2012. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
University of Vermont Extension, Vermont Vegetable and Berry Program, Perimeter Trap Cropping: A Novel Approach to Insect Pest Control, July 2004. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCCE Master Gardener Program), Companion Planting Chart: Companion planting in the vegetable garden, File dated 2023-09 in URL path; no date printed. Retrieved 2026-11-02.