Crop fact sheet · Warm season · frost tender
Cucumber
Not in season right now in Houston. Dates below.
Your dates in Houston
| Window | Order seed by | Start indoors | Plant | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Aug 26 | — | Sep 16 – Sep 30 | from Nov 5 |
| Spring 2027 | Feb 1 | — | Feb 22 – Mar 29 | from Apr 13 |
| Fall 2027 | Aug 26 | — | Sep 16 – Sep 30 | from Nov 5 |
Worked out from AgriLife planting windows (days before/after average frost) and Houston's average frost dates. "Order seed by" is our own 3-week heads-up, not an AgriLife date.
The numbers
- How to plant
- Sow seed directly 1" deep, 10" apart, rows 60" apart.
- Days to harvest
- 50–70 days
- Yield per 10 ft of row
- about 12 lb (120 lb per 100 ft of row)
- Keeps producing
- about 4.3 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae (for rotation)
Water
Soak plants well once a week if it does not rain. Roots reach 36 to 48 inches deep.
Feeding
- At planting: 1 cup of complete fertilizer (10-10-10 or 10-20-10) per 10 ft of row worked into the soil.
- Vines 10-12 inches long: 1/2 cup per 10 ft of row, or 1 tablespoon per plant.
Not sure what your soil needs? Get a soil test first.
Texas heat
Clemson HGIC 1309: cucumbers grow best at 75-85 F, and temperature swings of more than 20 F can make fruit bitter. Diseases such as mildews are more common from midsummer through fall.
Pests to watch
- cucumber beetles (banded and spotted)
- squash bug
- pickleworm
- aphids
- spider mites
Diseases
- powdery mildew
- downy mildew
- bacterial wilt
- anthracnose
What to do about them: pest sheet · what's wrong with my plant?
When it's ready
Pick while still green, not yellow: slicers 6 to 8 inches long and 1 inch or more across; picklers 3 to 4 inches. Yellow fruit is overmature and strong-flavored.
Storing it
Refrigerate about a week; ideal is 45-50 F at 95% humidity (Clemson).
Texas tips
- Do not plant until all danger of frost has passed and the soil begins to warm.
- Use a trellis, fence or cage in small gardens; vines reach 6 to 8 feet.
- If female flowers drop, hand-pollinate with a soft brush or cotton swab.
- Interplant quick crops like lettuce and radishes between hills.
Varieties that do well in Texas
Dasher II, Poinsett 76, Slice Master, Straight 8, Sweet Slice, Sweet Success, Burpless, Diva, Calypso, Multipik, National Pickling