🥒VegetablesTender
When to plant Cucumbers
Default: central Europe (50°N)· 50.0°N
Last spring frost: 5 May
First autumn frost: 5 Oct
Frost-free season: 153 days
Calendar windows
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDec
Sow indoors
14 Apr – 28 Apr
Sow outdoors
19 May – 2 Jun
Plant out
19 May – 2 Jun
Harvest
4 Jul – 3 Aug
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Light
Full sun
Water needs
High
Frost hardiness
Tender
Killed by any frost — plant out only after the last one.
Life cycle
Annual
Spacing
45 × 90 cm
Sowing depth
2 cm
Soil pH
6.0–7.0
Days to maturity
55–70
Containers
Great in pots
Plant family
Cucurbits
Soil temp. to sow
≥ 16°C
Practical notes
Cold-sensitive: wait for soil at 16°C or better. Train up netting or a cane wigwam — vertical plants stay drier and dodge mildew.
Knowing when to pick
Cut every other day once cropping starts. Fruit left to swell tells the plant to stop — one yellowing cucumber can end the picking.
Storing the crop
Keeps about a week in the fridge drawer wrapped loosely. Any glut is best turned into pickles the same day.
Crop rotation
A hungry group — follow them with legumes and add compost before replanting the bed.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: cucumbers diseases and pests (5) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.