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Cucumis sativus

Cucumber

A practical guide to growing cucumber in the home garden.

Growing profiles

Choose how this crop will be grown. Dimensions, spacing and timing belong to the selected profile—not to the species as a single universal value.

Climbing cucumber - trellised

Vining cucumber trained vertically to reduce ground footprint.

Typical mature height
120–240 cm (47–94 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Mature canopy
45–75 cm (18–30 in) × 30–50 cm (12–20 in) Editorial synthesisbasisbasis
Plant spacing
20–45 cm (8–18 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Row spacing
75–120 cm (30–47 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Planting arrangement
trellis row · open ground Editorial synthesisbasisbasis
Support
Required for this profile · 120 cm (47 in) minimum Editorial synthesisbasis
Optional container
At least 19 L (5 US gal) · 1 plant Editorial synthesisbasis
Best germination range
16–35 °C (61–95 °F) Editorial synthesisbasis

Climate-relative calendar

Frost and transplant rules become local dates when climate data is available. Cultivar maturity and crop condition are never replaced by a fabricated date.

Plant Cucumber7 days after last spring frost to 28 days after last spring frost Direct sourceEditorial synthesisbasisRecommended: Soil temperature at least 13 °C (55 °F) for 3 consecutive days. Editorial synthesisbasis
Install support for Climbing cucumber - trellisedplant cucumber to 3 days after plant cucumber Direct source
Begin harvesting Cucumber50 days after sowing to 70 days after sowing Planning estimatebasis
Finish harvesting Cucumber30 days after first harvest to 60 days after first harvest
Remove Cucumber cropthe expected end of harvest to 7 days after the expected end of harvest

Bush cucumber - ground grown

Compact bush or short-vined cucumber grown without vertical support.

Typical mature height
30–60 cm (12–24 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Mature canopy
60–120 cm (24–47 in) × 60–120 cm (24–47 in) Editorial synthesisbasisbasis
Plant spacing
60–90 cm (24–35 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Row spacing
75–120 cm (30–47 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Planting arrangement
single row · open ground Editorial synthesisbasis
Support
Usually unnecessary
Optional container
At least 19 L (5 US gal) · 1 plant Editorial synthesisbasis
Best germination range
16–35 °C (61–95 °F) Editorial synthesisbasis

Climate-relative calendar

Frost and transplant rules become local dates when climate data is available. Cultivar maturity and crop condition are never replaced by a fabricated date.

Plant Cucumber7 days after last spring frost to 28 days after last spring frost Direct sourceEditorial synthesisbasisRecommended: Soil temperature at least 13 °C (55 °F) for 3 consecutive days. Editorial synthesisbasis
Begin harvesting Cucumber45 days after sowing to 65 days after sowing Planning estimatebasis
Finish harvesting Cucumber25 days after first harvest to 55 days after first harvest
Remove Cucumber cropthe expected end of harvest to 7 days after the expected end of harvest

Agronomy release agronomy-2026-07-11-r1 · reviewed 2026-07-11 by Gardeningist agronomic research synthesis. Direct-source links indicate close source support; synthesis and planning estimates are labeled separately.

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