When to plant cucumbers in USDA Zone 9b

Plan your cucumbers planting around local frost risk and soil temperature, then work backward from the harvest week your buyers need. The calendar below is a starting point, not a field-level weather forecast.

Orlando, Tampa, San Antonio, southern LA coast. Average last spring frost February 5, first fall frost December 15 — a 313-day frost-free season.

Zone fit: excellent
Cucumbers is well suited to Zone 9b. Standard planting dates work with minor adjustments for microclimates.

Key dates

Start seeds indoors
January 8 – January 22
Direct-seed or transplant outdoors
February 12 – March 5
Expected first harvest
April 15 – May 13
Fall planting window
September 29 – October 20
Fall harvest window
November 30 – December 28

Windows are calculated from your zone's average frost dates. Adjust ±1 week for microclimates, elevation, and your own frost records.

Spacing and soil

Plant spacing
12″
Row spacing
48″
Seed depth
1″
Soil temperature
70–90°F
Frost tolerance
tender
Days to harvest
55 days

Grower notes for Zone 9b

Trellis for cleaner fruit and lower disease pressure. Successive plantings every 3 weeks keep harvest steady.

Plant near: beans, corn, radish

Keep away from: sage, potatoes

Other cucurbits for Zone 9b

Same crop, other zones

Track your own plantings

BAU Farm Intelligence turns these windows into per-field tasks — indoor seed-start reminders, transplant dates, harvest projections — using your farm's actual frost history.