When to plant cucumbers in New York
New York spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-7b. Average last spring frost: 04-25 (NYC/LI) to 05-15 (Upstate). This calendar gives you the indoor start, transplant, and direct-sow dates for Cucumis sativus.
New York planting dates for cucumbers
Dates for New York vary significantly by region. Use the average frost date lookup for your specific ZIP code, then apply the standard offsets: start cucumbers indoors 3 weeks before your last frost; transplant 2 weeks after last frost; direct sow 1 weeks after last frost.
Why these dates
Cucumbers germinate quickly in warm soil (70F+) but get destroyed by cucumber beetles - row covers until flowering are essential in much of the US.
The dates above are anchored to New York's average last spring frost date of 04-25 (NYC/LI) to 05-15 (Upstate), with offsets standard across university Extension publications. For zone-specific local timing, use the frost date lookup tool with your ZIP code.
More on growing cucumbers
The full growing guide for cucumbers - varieties, soil, fertilization, pests, harvest, storage - is here: Cucumbers growing guide.
More New York planting information
- Full New York planting calendar (all crops + ornamentals)
- Find your exact USDA zone by ZIP
- Look up your average frost dates
- Seed starting timeline calculator