When to plant zucchini in Tucson: 7 March – 1 October

In Tucson, zucchini: sow for seedlings from 24 January to 10 September; plant into a greenhouse from 14 February to 1 October; plant out into open ground from 7 March to 1 October. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Casita Verde (garden centre, 4 km) and Drutopia (garden centre, 5 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Zucchini 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 zucchini card — only around 7 March, 29 days later.

Last spring frost	6 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	7 March, 29 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	18 December, 286 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	36
First harvest, if planted in this window	12 April – 6 November
Days left for picking	250
Daylight	11:01 on 14 February, 11:41 on 7 March
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, May, has 1 rainy day

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

Zucchini in Tucson: care after planting

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

Pests and diseases of zucchini to watch for:

Weather in Tucson during the zucchini season

About 284 mm of rain falls in the season; May is the driest month (3 mm) and July the wettest (59 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
March	24.3	8.9	22	4	11:57
April	29.4	13	5	1	12:57
May	33.1	17.2	3	1	13:48
June	38.5	23.2	10	1	14:15
July	38	25.7	59	8	14:04
August	36.9	24.6	46	7	13:21
September	35	21.8	53	6	12:24
October	30.7	15.9	28	3	11:25
November	24.4	10	23	3	10:31
December	19.6	6.3	35	4	10:03

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Zucchini in nearby cities

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

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Phoenix	173 km	23 February – 12 October	12 days earlier
Flagstaff	335 km	12 May – 4 August	66 days later
Las Cruces	390 km	5 April – 7 September	29 days later
El Paso	422 km	23 March – 18 September	16 days later
Ciudad Juárez	430 km	23 March – 18 September	16 days later
Albuquerque	508 km	18 April – 23 August	42 days later

Where to buy zucchini plants and seeds near Tucson

Buy plants ready to set out from 7 March to 1 October (from 14 February to 1 October for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 24 January to 10 September. Within 15 km of Tucson OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop and 5 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Loya's Courtyard — garden centre
North Oracle Road 2925, 85705 Tucson · 6 km · loyascourtyard.com
Casita Verde — garden centre
East Speedway Boulevard 4815, Tucson · 4 km · casitaverdetucson.com
Old Pueblo Cactus — garden centre
East Roger Road 1802, Tucson · 7 km
Drutopia — garden centre
Thu–Sun 10:00–17:30 · 5 km

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