When to Plant Cucumbers in California

For cucumbers in California, spring planting starts between Aug 1 (Imperial County) and Apr 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.

Photo: Cucumber plants growing in a greenhouse bed. HARTLEPOOLMARINA2014, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

GearSeed starting gear Raised bed gear Garden tools

Pick a county for cucumbers dates

County

Each county's dates come from its assigned region in the UC Master Gardener table.

Coast road above the Pacific with green slopes at Big Sur

Published dates for cucumbers in California

Type	Season	Region	Published dates	Source
Cucumbers	spring	Interior Valleys	April-July	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Cucumbers	spring	North & North Coast	April-June	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Cucumbers	spring	South Coast	April-Jun	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Cucumbers	winter	Desert Valleys	Feb-May	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Cucumbers	summer	Desert Valleys	Aug	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)

Planting dates for cucumbers by California county

County	Spring	Summer and fall
Alameda	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Alpine	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Amador	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Butte	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Calaveras	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Colusa	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Contra Costa	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Del Norte	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
El Dorado	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Fresno	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Glenn	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Humboldt	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Imperial	Aug 1 to Aug 31; Feb 1 to May 31	n/a
Inyo	Aug 1 to Aug 31; Feb 1 to May 31	n/a
Kern	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Kings	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Lake	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Lassen	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Los Angeles	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Madera	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Marin	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Mariposa	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Mendocino	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Merced	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Modoc	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Mono	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Monterey	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Napa	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Nevada	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Orange	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Placer	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Plumas	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Riverside	Aug 1 to Aug 31; Feb 1 to May 31	n/a
Sacramento	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
San Benito	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Bernardino	Aug 1 to Aug 31; Feb 1 to May 31	n/a
San Diego	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Francisco	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Joaquin	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
San Luis Obispo	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Mateo	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Santa Barbara	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Santa Clara	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Santa Cruz	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Shasta	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Sierra	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Siskiyou	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Solano	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Sonoma	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Stanislaus	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Sutter	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Tehama	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Trinity	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Tulare	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Tuolumne	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Ventura	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Yolo	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a
Yuba	Apr 1 to Jul 31	n/a

Other vegetables in California

Tomatoes
Peppers
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Green Beans
Lima Beans
Peas
Squash
Winter Squash
Pumpkins
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Okra
Eggplant
Lettuce
Spinach
Kale
Mustard Greens
Turnips
Swiss Chard
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Kohlrabi
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Asparagus
Rutabagas
Parsley

More planting dates for California

Planting dates for each crop in California, from the UC Master Gardener Program calendar.

Tomatoes

Peppers

Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Green Beans

Squash

Lettuce

Onions

Planting cucumbers in California: questions

When do you plant cucumbers in California?

For cucumbers in California, spring planting starts between Aug 1 (Imperial County) and Apr 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.

Can I plant cucumbers in the fall in California?

The UC Master Gardener Program calendar used here lists no fall window for cucumbers.

Does the frost date matter for cucumbers?

The windows above already account for frost as the publication describes. Check the California frost dates page for your county’s risk.

Where do these dates for cucumbers come from?

California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2 Time of planting (UC Master Gardener Program statewide page; table 'Recommended planting dates', source: California Master Gardener Handbook, Table 13.2).

Are the dates the same across the state?

Counties are matched to one of the four UC regions, and the region sets the dates.

Cucumber vines climbing a wooden trellis in a kitchen garden

Photos: Cucumber plants growing in a greenhouse bed: HARTLEPOOLMARINA2014, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Cucumber vines climbing a wooden trellis in a kitchen garden: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Coast road above the Pacific with green slopes at Big Sur: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pile of ripe tomatoes: Jubair Bin Iqbal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pepper plant in a kitchen garden loaded with green, yellow and red peppers: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Long neat rows of green potato plants stretching across a farm field: Malcolm Neal, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Tall corn plants with golden tassels against a summer sky in a field: inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Clusters of long green bean pods hanging from a climbing bean vine: Nirajan_pant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Zucchini fruit on the plant: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Young lettuce plant in garden soil: GT1976, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Long rows of green onion plants growing in sandy farm soil: ליזי שאנן, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.