Best time to plant cucumber in Australia
Cucumis sativus
Cucumber is a frost-tender vine in the gourd family, grown for fruit picked green and crisp before the seeds harden. Plants sprawl or climb, and a trellis saves space and keeps the fruit clean. Types range from short Lebanese and pickling cucumbers to long continental ones. Keep watering steady, as dry spells can make the fruit bitter.
On a shared plot: suits a plot
Grow it up a trellis to save room and keep fruit clean, and put the trellis where its shade won't fall on a neighbour.
When to sow
| Zone | Months | How well checked |
|---|---|---|
| Cool | Oct to Dec | Matches local guides |
| Temperate | Sep to Feb | Matches local guides |
| Subtropical | Jul to Mar | Matches local guides |
| Tropical | Feb to Sep | Matches local guides |
| Arid | Aug to Feb | Broadly matches local guides, with some differences |
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Growing details
- How to start
- Sow directly or raise seedlings
- Sowing depth
- 2-3cm
- Plant spacing
- 15cm on a trellis, 60-90cm sprawling
- Row spacing
- 90cm
- Germination
- About 10 days
- Time to harvest
- 55 days
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- annual
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.