When to plant / Cucumbers
When to plant cucumbers
Plant cucumbers from the last spring frost date to 1 week after it. Cucumbers are a tender crop in Colorado State University Extension's planting guide, and that is the guide's rule for the class. Across the 39 U.S. cities on this site the window opens between Feb 9 (Sacramento, CA) and May 13 (Concord, NH), because each city's own NOAA last-frost date is different.
The planting rule for cucumbers, in plain words
Colorado State's Vegetable Planting Guide sorts vegetables into four frost classes and gives each class one timing rule relative to the average last spring frost. Cucumbers sit in the tender class, whose rule reads: From seed: around the date of the average last spring frost
On this site that becomes 0 to 1 weeks from the station's 50% probability last 32°F date, the same arithmetic every city calendar uses.
The guide's cucumber row allows either seed or a transplant 2–3 weeks old, with 55 typical days to harvest. Minnesota warns against damaging the taproot when transplanting, so the indoor column is an option for a short season rather than the default.
University of Minnesota Extension gives the same answer with a thermometer attached: Use a soil thermometer and sow seeds after the last frost date, once the soil is at least 70° F at the one-inch depth.
It sets that threshold because Cucumber seeds will not germinate in cold soil.
On method, The best way to start cucumbers is direct seeding.
If you do transplant, Start seeds indoors no earlier than four weeks before the last frost date.
— later than the Colorado State transplant age, so the indoor column here is the earlier of the two and Minnesota's limit is the later one. The frost reasoning is the same as the class rule: Since the plants cannot survive freezing temperatures, plan to set the plants out after the last frost date.
and Earlier planting is possible with the use of black plastic mulch, which raises soil temperature.
Soil temperature for cucumbers
Minimum soil temperature for cucumbers in the cited sources: 60°F at 1 inch (Colorado State: 60°F minimum germination for cucumbers; Minnesota: at least 70°F at the one-inch depth). A frost date cannot see the soil, so take a morning reading before trusting the window; the soil temperature guide covers every crop.
Cucumbers: planting dates for 39 U.S. cities
The rule above applied to each station's own NOAA normals, earliest first. City links open that station's full calendar.
| City | Last spring frost (32°F) | Start seeds indoors | Direct sow (or transplant) | Indoor start no earlier than | Last fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | Feb 9 | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Feb 9 – Feb 16 | Jan 12 | Oct 9 |
| Houston, TX | Feb 18 | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Feb 18 – Feb 25 | Jan 21 | Oct 14 |
| Austin, TX | Feb 19 | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Feb 19 – Feb 26 | Jan 22 | Oct 12 |
| San Antonio, TX | Mar 1 | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Feb 1 | Oct 7 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | Mar 8 | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Feb 8 | Oct 1 |
| Seattle, WA | Mar 8 | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Feb 8 | Sep 27 |
| Portland, OR | Mar 16 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Feb 16 | Sep 23 |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 20 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Feb 20 | Sep 27 |
| Birmingham, AL | Mar 27 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Feb 27 | Sep 18 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | Mar 27 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Feb 27 | Sep 15 |
| Washington, DC | Mar 28 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Feb 28 | Sep 23 |
| New York City | Apr 1 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Mar 4 | Sep 24 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Apr 2 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Mar 5 | Sep 16 |
| Louisville, KY | Apr 3 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | Mar 6 | Sep 10 |
| Raleigh, NC | Apr 3 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | Mar 6 | Sep 10 |
| St. Louis, MO | Apr 3 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | Mar 6 | Sep 9 |
| Charlotte, NC | Apr 4 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | Mar 7 | Sep 9 |
| Richmond, VA | Apr 4 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | Mar 7 | Sep 10 |
| Boston, MA | Apr 6 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | Mar 9 | Sep 14 |
| Nashville, TN | Apr 6 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | Mar 9 | Sep 8 |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 12 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | Mar 15 | Aug 29 |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 16 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | Mar 19 | Sep 2 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Apr 16 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | Mar 19 | Aug 28 |
| Des Moines, IA | Apr 17 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Apr 17 – Apr 24 | Mar 20 | Aug 23 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 20 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | Apr 20 – Apr 27 | Mar 23 | Aug 30 |
| Omaha, NE | Apr 21 | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | Mar 24 | Aug 17 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 21 | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | Mar 24 | Aug 30 |
| Chicago, IL | Apr 22 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Apr 22 – Apr 29 | Mar 25 | Aug 25 |
| Cleveland, OH | Apr 22 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Apr 22 – Apr 29 | Mar 25 | Sep 6 |
| Hartford, CT | Apr 24 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | Apr 24 – May 1 | Mar 27 | Aug 19 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Apr 24 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | Apr 24 – May 1 | Mar 27 | Aug 26 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 25 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | Apr 25 – May 2 | Mar 28 | Aug 16 |
| Albany, NY | Apr 28 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | Apr 28 – May 5 | Mar 31 | Aug 16 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | Apr 28 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | Apr 28 – May 5 | Mar 31 | Aug 22 |
| Portland, ME | May 1 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 1 – May 8 | Apr 3 | Aug 16 |
| Madison, WI | May 2 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 2 – May 9 | Apr 4 | Aug 11 |
| Burlington, VT | May 4 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | May 4 – May 11 | Apr 6 | Aug 14 |
| Denver, CO | May 6 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 6 – May 13 | Apr 8 | Aug 12 |
| Concord, NH | May 13 | Apr 22 – May 6 | May 13 – May 20 | Apr 15 | Aug 6 |
Fall column: 55 days to harvest counted back from the first fall 32°F date (Purdue HO-66-W method, methodology).
3 frost-free stations are left out. Not in the table? The planner takes any pair of frost dates.
Three cities, one rule
- Sacramento, California — last spring frost Feb 9, so direct sow (or transplant) Feb 9 – Feb 16; start seeds indoors Jan 19 – Feb 2; Minnesota's indoor cap Jan 12. 297 frost-free days in all.
- Kansas City, Missouri — last spring frost Apr 12, so direct sow (or transplant) Apr 12 – Apr 19; start seeds indoors Mar 22 – Apr 5; Minnesota's indoor cap Mar 15. 194 frost-free days in all.
- Concord, New Hampshire — last spring frost May 13, so direct sow (or transplant) May 13 – May 20; start seeds indoors Apr 22 – May 6; Minnesota's indoor cap Apr 15. 140 frost-free days in all.
Questions about planting cucumbers
When should I plant cucumbers outside?
Cucumbers are a tender crop, so Colorado State Extension's rule is from the last spring frost date to 1 week after it. In Sacramento, CA that is Feb 9 – Feb 16; in Concord, NH it is May 13 – May 20. Find your city in the table above, or enter your own frost date in the planner.
How early can I start cucumber seeds indoors?
Minnesota Extension says no earlier than four weeks before the last frost date, and prefers direct seeding because the taproot dislikes transplanting. That cap is Jan 12 in Sacramento, CA and Apr 15 in Concord, NH; Colorado State's 2-to-3-week transplant age gives the later indoor window in the table.
What soil temperature do cucumbers need?
The minimum germination soil temperature in Colorado State Extension's guide is 60°F. The frost window is the earliest the crop is safe from freezing; the soil reading tells you whether it will actually grow. Measure at 4 inches in the morning before planting.
How long do cucumbers take to harvest?
Colorado State's typical days to harvest for this row is 55 days. Compare that to your city's frost-free days in the table: Sacramento, CA has 297, Concord, NH has 140.
Can I plant cucumbers for a fall harvest?
39 of the 39 cities in the table show a separate fall planting date for cucumbers, found by counting the days to harvest back from the first fall frost. Where the row says no separate fall sowing, the spring window already covers the season.
Related planting dates
- When to plant zucchini — from the last spring frost date to 1 week after it
- When to plant tomatoes — 2 to 4 weeks after the last spring frost
- When to plant pumpkins — after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed
- All crops · calendars by city · cool-season vs warm-season crops
Sources for this page
| Source | Used for | Read |
|---|---|---|
| NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 | 50% probability last spring and first fall 32°F and 28°F dates for each station | 2026-10-16 |
| Colorado State University Extension, CMG GardenNotes #720 Vegetable Planting Guide | spring class rules, transplant age and days to harvest, via crops.json | 2026-10-16 |
| Colorado State University Extension, Vegetable Planting Guide (germination soil temperature table) | figures as quoted in this site's soil-temperature guide (/blog/soil-temperature-for-planting-vegetables/); the page could not be re-fetched on 2026-10-23 and the 2026-10-17 reading stands; the same minimum germination figures (tomato 50, pepper 60, potato 45, onion 35, cucumber and summer squash 60°F, read at 8 a.m. at 4 inches) appear in the soil temperature table of CMG GardenNotes #720, re-read 2026-10-23 | 2026-10-17 |
| University of Minnesota Extension, Growing cucumbers in home gardens | quoted timing, soil temperature, maturity or depth statements | 2026-10-23 |
Every date in the table is arithmetic on the station's NOAA normal and the offset stated by the source; the quoted sentences are the only figures on this page that are not computed. Normals are 30-year averages and describe the station, not your yard. Rules checked 2026-10-23; see the methodology page.