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When to plant cucumbers

Squash family, Cucumis sativus

Spacing
12″ apart
Per sq ft
2
To harvest
50–70 days
Frost
Tender

Companion plants for cucumbers

What to grow next to cucumbers, what to keep away, and what is only tradition. Every pairing says how strong the evidence is.

Grow together 11

Helps, or shares the bed well.

  • Nasturtium Mixed Nasturtiums can pull aphids and squash bugs away as a trap crop, but results vary and you have to manage the pests on them.

    Source: Trap cropping: a review of the state of the art, Sarkar et al., 2018 (open-access review). Nasturtium guide

  • Dill Practical Flowering dill feeds parasitic wasps and hoverflies that prey on aphids and caterpillars.

    Source: Gardening with Companion Plants (EM128E), Linda Chalker-Scott, Washington State University Extension, 2023. Dill guide

  • Bush bean Practical Beans and cucumbers like the same warm soil and can share a trellis line without much competition.

    Bush bean guide

  • Pole bean Practical Beans and cucumbers like the same warm soil and can share a trellis line without much competition.

    Pole bean guide

  • Sweet corn Practical Cucumbers can climb corn stalks, and corn tolerates the vines at its base.

    Sweet corn guide

  • Sunflower Practical Sturdy sunflower stalks can carry light cucumber vines.

    Sunflower guide

  • Lettuce Practical Lettuce grows in the shade at the foot of a cucumber trellis.

    Lettuce guide

  • Red leaf lettuce Practical Lettuce grows in the shade at the foot of a cucumber trellis.

    Red leaf lettuce guide

  • Marigold Practical Flowering borders bring pollinators and predatory insects into the vegetable bed.

    Source: Gardening with Companion Plants (EM128E), Linda Chalker-Scott, Washington State University Extension, 2023. Marigold guide

  • Calendula Practical Flowering borders bring pollinators and predatory insects into the vegetable bed.

    Source: Gardening with Companion Plants (EM128E), Linda Chalker-Scott, Washington State University Extension, 2023. Calendula guide

  • Zinnia Practical Flowering borders bring pollinators and predatory insects into the vegetable bed.

    Source: Gardening with Companion Plants (EM128E), Linda Chalker-Scott, Washington State University Extension, 2023. Zinnia guide

Keep apart 3

Shared pests, disease or competition.

  • Cantaloupe Practical They don’t cross-pollinate into strange fruit (a common myth), but they share cucumber beetles, mildew and bacterial wilt. Spread them out if you can.

    Cantaloupe guide

  • Watermelon Practical They don’t cross-pollinate into strange fruit (a common myth), but they share cucumber beetles, mildew and bacterial wilt. Spread them out if you can.

    Watermelon guide

  • Zucchini Practical They don’t cross-pollinate into strange fruit (a common myth), but they share cucumber beetles, mildew and bacterial wilt. Spread them out if you can.

    Zucchini guide

Tradition only 3

On many charts, with little or no evidence.

  • Radish Tradition Said to help Radishes are said to repel cucumber beetles. Studies have not shown it.

    Radish guide

  • Potato Tradition Said to harm Often listed as bad neighbors, supposedly encouraging blight. There is no shared-disease link; the real problem is that both sprawl.

    Potato guide

  • Sage Tradition Said to harm Often listed as bad for cucumbers; no evidence either way.

    Sage guide

Studied Field or lab research shows an effect, at least under some conditions.
Mixed Some studies find an effect, others don’t, or it only works in a narrow way.
Practical Explained by light, space, timing, support or a shared pest or disease.
Tradition Widely repeated, but with little or no evidence behind it.

See every pairing side by side in the companion planting chart, or try them in a bed with the garden planner.

When to plant cucumbers by city

Start cucumbers indoors 3–4 weeks before your last frost, plant them out 1–3 weeks after your last frost, or sow seed outdoors 1–4 weeks after your last frost, once the soil is at least 65°F. For a fall crop, sow 10–12 weeks before your first fall frost. Here is what that means for 2027 in cities across the US, using each city’s average frost dates and the date its normal daily temperature reaches 65°F, so cool-spring places like Seattle wait for real warmth (NOAA 1991–2020). Pick the city with the climate most like yours, or enter your ZIP code above.

City Last frost Start indoors Plant out Sow outdoors Fall crop
Seattle, WA (9a) Mar 13 May 26 – Jun 2 Jun 30 – Jul 14 Jun 30 – Jul 21 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Portland, OR (8b) Feb 25 May 21–28 Jun 25 – Jul 9 Jun 25 – Jul 16 Sep 8–22
Sacramento, CA (9b) Jan 12 Mar 28 – Apr 4 May 2–16 May 2–23 Sep 23 – Oct 7
Phoenix, AZ (10a) Jan 5 Feb 2–9 Mar 9–23 Mar 9–30 Oct 11–25
Salt Lake City, UT (7b) Mar 31 Apr 19–26 May 24 – Jun 7 May 24 – Jun 14 Aug 16–30
Denver, CO (6a) Apr 30 Apr 25 – May 2 May 30 – Jun 13 May 30 – Jun 20 Jul 20 – Aug 3
Dallas, TX (8b) Mar 2 Mar 2–9 Apr 6–20 Apr 6–27 Sep 6–20
Minneapolis, MN (5a) Apr 23 Apr 29 – May 6 Jun 3–17 Jun 3–24 Jul 24 – Aug 7
Kansas City, MO (6b) Apr 4 Apr 5–12 May 10–24 May 10–31 Aug 10–24
Chicago, IL (6b) Apr 10 May 2–9 Jun 6–20 Jun 6–27 Aug 13–27
Columbus, OH (6b) Apr 20 Apr 18–25 May 23 – Jun 6 May 23 – Jun 13 Aug 1–15
Nashville, TN (7b) Apr 1 Mar 31 – Apr 7 May 5–19 May 5–26 Aug 8–22
Atlanta, GA (8a) Mar 24 Mar 23–30 Apr 27 – May 11 Apr 27 – May 18 Aug 16–30
Raleigh, NC (8a) Mar 28 Mar 27 – Apr 3 May 1–15 May 1–22 Aug 16–30
Philadelphia, PA (7b) Mar 30 Apr 7–14 May 12–26 May 12 – Jun 2 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Boston, MA (7a) Apr 4 May 1–8 Jun 5–19 Jun 5–26 Aug 17–31

In frost-free parts of Florida, southern California and the Gulf Coast, timing is about heat instead: plant cucumbers in late winter or early spring and again in late summer.

Don’t go by the calendar alone. Cucumbers planted into cold soil sit still for weeks; wait until the soil 4 inches down is at least 65°F and nights stay above 50°F.

Cucumber spacing

In a square-foot bed, plant 2 per square foot, growing them up a trellis or cage. In traditional rows, space plants about 12 inches apart with 48 inches between rows.

Grow up a trellis for two per square and straighter fruit.

One square foot planted with cucumbers, as drawn in the planner.

How to grow cucumbers

Cucumbers grow fast in warm weather and bear heavily for several weeks before beetles and mildew catch up. On a trellis they take little space and give straighter, cleaner fruit, a good fit for small gardens.

Sun and soil

Full sun and fertile, well-drained soil, pH 6.0–6.5. Steady moisture, 1–2 inches a week, is essential once fruit sets.

Planting

  1. Direct-sow 1 inch deep 1–4 weeks after the last frost, when soil is at least 65°F, or transplant 3–4-week-old seedlings gently.
  2. Space 12 inches apart in rows 48 inches apart; on a trellis, two plants fit per square foot.
  3. Put up a 5–6 foot trellis before planting.
  4. For a fall crop, sow again 10–12 weeks before the first fall frost.

Care

  • Water at the base in the morning; drip or soaker hoses are ideal.
  • Cover seedlings against cucumber beetles and uncover when flowers open so bees can pollinate.
  • Early flowers falling off is normal: the first 10–20 are usually male.

Harvest

Pick picklers at 2–6 inches and slicers at 6–10 inches, before skins yellow, usually 5–7 days after flowering. Check every day or two and cut rather than pull. Overgrown fruit left on the vine slows production.

Common problems

  • Cucumber beetles and bacterial wilt: Beetles chew plants and spread a wilt that collapses vines. Row cover until bloom, hand-pick beetles, and pull wilted plants.
  • Powdery and downy mildew: White powder or angular yellow patches. Grow resistant varieties, space for airflow, and avoid overhead watering.
  • Bitter or misshapen fruit: Drought stress, temperature swings and poor pollination. Water steadily and remove deformed fruit.

Varieties to try

  • 'Marketmore 76' — dark green slicer, disease resistant
  • 'Straight Eight' — heirloom slicer
  • 'Boston Pickling' — classic heirloom pickler
  • 'Diva' — thin-skinned, seedless; sets fruit without pollination

Crop rotation

Cucumbers belong to the squash family (Cucurbitaceae). Heavy feeders. Cucumber beetles and powdery mildew carry over between years. Relatives that count as the same family for rotation: zucchini, yellow squash, winter squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe, watermelon.

Frequently asked questions

When should I plant cucumbers?
Start cucumbers indoors 3–4 weeks before your last frost, plant them out 1–3 weeks after your last frost, or sow seed outdoors 1–4 weeks after your last frost, once the soil is at least 65°F. For a fall crop, sow 10–12 weeks before your first fall frost. Type your ZIP code above for exact dates, or see the city table.
What grows well with cucumbers?
Good neighbors for cucumbers include nasturtium, dill, bush bean, pole bean, sweet corn and sunflower. Each one is listed above with the reason and how strong the evidence is.
What should not be planted with cucumbers?
Keep cucumbers apart from cantaloupe, watermelon and zucchini. They don’t cross-pollinate into strange fruit (a common myth), but they share cucumber beetles, mildew and bacterial wilt. Spread them out if you can.
How far apart should I plant cucumbers?
In rows, space cucumbers about 12 inches apart with rows 48 inches apart. In a square-foot bed, plant 2 per square foot. That density assumes they grow up a trellis or cage.
How long do cucumbers take to grow?
About 50–70 days from sowing to first harvest, depending on the variety and the weather.
Can cucumbers handle frost?
No. Cucumbers are killed by frost and sulk in cold soil, so wait until after your last frost and until the soil reaches about 65°F.

Sources

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Plan your beds

When to plant

What grows together