Greenly Garden

When to plant cucumbers in Tucson: 7 March – 3 October

In Tucson, cucumber: sow for seedlings from 17 January to 5 September; plant into a greenhouse from 14 February to 3 October; plant out into open ground from 7 March to 3 October. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Southern Arizona Farrier Supply (farm supply, 10 km) and Sunset Nursery (garden centre, 12 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Cucumber in Tucson: soil, season and weather

In Tucson the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 6 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the cucumber card — only around 7 March, 29 days later.

Last spring frost6 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C7 March, 29 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse14 February – 3 October; February outside: 6 °C at night, 20.9 °C by day; card 18–25 °C
First autumn frost18 December, 286 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)34
First harvest, if planted in this window10 April – 6 November
Days left for picking252
Daylight10:48 on 7 February, 11:41 on 7 March
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)every 2 days; the driest month, May, has 1 rainy day

The same dates in Tucson hold for Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini, Pumpkin and Watermelon.

Cucumber in Tucson: care after planting

Planted on 7 March: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

  • 14 March — feed: nitrogen

Pests and diseases of cucumber to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Weather in Tucson during the cucumber season

Days average above the cucumber card's 18–35 °C in June (38.5 °C), July (38 °C) and August (36.9 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in March–May and October–December (6.3–17.2 °C).

MonthDay, °CNight, °CRain, mmRainy daysDaylight on the 15th
March24.38.922411:57
April29.4135112:57
May33.117.23113:48
June38.523.210114:15
July3825.759814:04
August36.924.646713:21
September3521.853612:24
October30.715.928311:25
November24.41023310:31
December19.66.335410:03

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Cucumber in nearby cities

Around Tucson, Phoenix is 12 days earlier and Flagstaff 66 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Phoenix173 km23 February – 14 October12 days earlier
Flagstaff335 km12 May – 6 August66 days later
Las Cruces390 km5 April – 9 September29 days later
El Paso422 km23 March – 20 September16 days later
Ciudad Juárez430 km23 March – 20 September16 days later
Albuquerque508 km18 April – 25 August42 days later

Where to buy cucumber plants and seeds near Tucson

Buy plants ready to set out from 7 March to 3 October (from 14 February to 3 October for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 17 January to 5 September. Within 15 km of Tucson OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop and 5 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

Questions

When to plant cucumbers in Tucson?

In Tucson, cucumber: sow for seedlings from 17 January to 5 September; plant into a greenhouse from 14 February to 3 October; plant out into open ground from 7 March to 3 October.

When to sow cucumbers for seedlings in Tucson?

Sow for seedlings from 17 January to 5 September.

When is the last spring frost in Tucson?

Last spring frost around 6 February, first autumn frost around 18 December.

Other crops in Tucson, with their dates