When to Plant Cucumbers in San Francisco, CA

One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant cucumbers in San Francisco can be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Cucumbers

Frost tolerance for cucumbers: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's not a good idea to plant cucumbers until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant cucumbers
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant cucumbers
Probably not a good time to plant cucumbers

The earliest that you can plant cucumbers in San Francisco is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant cucumbers and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your cucumbers may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your cucumbers indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is January 31 in San Francisco. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 35°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for San Francisco is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in San Francisco you get surprised by a frost after January 31 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your cucumbers in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for San Francisco

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)December 15
Lowest Expected Low35°F
Highest Expected Low40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 40°F.

Plants to Grow in San Francisco

You may be interested in your other planting guides for San Francisco.