When to plant zucchini in Ithaca: 31 May – 22 August

In Ithaca, zucchini: sow for seedlings from 19 April to 1 August; plant into a greenhouse from 10 May to 22 August; plant out into open ground from 31 May to 22 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Green Tree (garden centre, 4 km) and A New Leaf (garden centre, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Zucchini in Ithaca: soil, season and weather

In Ithaca the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 28 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the zucchini card — only around 31 May, 33 days later.

Last spring frost	28 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	31 May, 33 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	8 November, 161 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	36
First harvest, if planted in this window	6 July – 27 September
Days left for picking	125
Daylight	14:24 on 10 May, 15:03 on 31 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, November, has 14 rainy days

The same dates in Ithaca hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin and Watermelon.

Zucchini in Ithaca: care after planting

Planted on 31 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Pests and diseases of zucchini to watch for:

Weather in Ithaca during the zucchini season

About 720 mm of rain falls in the season; November is the driest month (85 mm) and August the wettest (122 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	19.8	8.7	97	14	14:35
June	24.7	13.9	99	13	15:16
July	27.6	17.5	115	13	15:00
August	26	16.8	122	13	13:56
September	22.7	13.5	86	10	12:32
October	16.5	8.1	116	13	11:07
November	8.6	1.4	85	14	9:48

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Zucchini in nearby cities

Around Ithaca, Allentown is 8 days earlier and Rochester 2 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Syracuse (United States)	74 km	31 May – 20 August	same day
Rochester	121 km	2 June – 26 August	2 days later
Buffalo	201 km	29 May – 24 August	2 days earlier
Allentown	222 km	23 May – 17 August	8 days earlier
Albany	226 km	30 May – 20 August	1 day earlier
Harrisburg	243 km	25 May – 25 August	6 days earlier

Where to buy zucchini plants and seeds near Ithaca

Buy plants ready to set out from 31 May to 22 August (from 10 May to 22 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 19 April to 1 August. Within 15 km of Ithaca OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 3 plant nurseries, 6 markets and 3 farm shops (collected 29 October 2026).

Green Tree — garden centre
Elmira Road 606, 14850 Ithaca · 4 km
A New Leaf — garden centre
Slaterville Road · 6 km
The Plantsmen Nursery — plant nursery
Peruville Road 482, 13073 Groton · Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00; Sun 10:00–16:00 · 12 km · plantsmen.com
Ithaca Farmers' Market — market
Third Street 545, 14851 Ithaca · Sat–Sun 10:00–15:00; Jan–Apr closed · 1 km · ithacamarket.com

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.

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