When to plant cucumber

Tender · frost kills it

Cucumberis keyed to your local frost dates. The offsets below hold anywhere — but the calendar dates they land on don’t. Enter your ZIP for dates tuned to your city’s nearest NOAA station.

Cucumber planting timeline

Start indoors

3–4 wks before

Transplant out

1–2 wks after

Direct sow

1–4 wks after

Harvest

50–70 days later

-5 wksLAST SPRING FROST+12 wks

Tender: wait until the danger of frost has passed before planting out.

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Cucumber planting FAQ

When should I start cucumber seeds indoors?

Start cucumber indoors 3–4 weeks before the last spring frost, so seedlings are ready to plant out once the weather warms.

Can I direct sow cucumber?

Yes — you can sow cucumber directly outdoors 1–4 weeks after the last spring frost.

How long does cucumber take to grow?

Cucumber takes about 50–70 days from transplanting to harvest, depending on the variety and conditions.

Is cucumber frost-hardy?

Tender: wait until the danger of frost has passed before planting out.

Planting reminders

Never miss a window in your area

An email when it’s time to start seeds, transplant, and sow — timed to your frost dates. Double opt-in, one-click unsubscribe, no spam.

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Planting windows are offsets from your local 1991–2020 NOAA frost normals. How we compute this.