FALL GROWING GUIDE · REGION V
When to plant
cucumbers
in Rio Grande Valley.
A fall cucumber planting still needs enough frost-free growing time to produce. Its place in the calendar comes earlier than many cool-season leaves.
AVERAGE FALL PLANTING DATE
October 1
Direct sow · Frost sensitive
A recurring regional reference from the 2014 Extension guide. This is not a forecast; the source does not specify a closing date for this crop.
What this means for your garden.
The far southern tip of Texas, including McAllen on the source map, is Region V. This is the latest fall schedule in the five-region guide, with some sowings extending to mid-December.
For cucumbers, the regional reference is October 1. The source provides no last optimum date for this crop. Dates that look late compared with northern gardens are intentional in this regional table. Check the source region before importing advice from a different climate.
Your next three steps
- Choose the right start.
Look at maturity information and your local frost outlook together. The average start in the table is not a guarantee of a harvest.
- Give the plant a good first week.
Choose a variety and support arrangement that suit the available space. Check new seedlings and the surrounding soil rather than watering on an inflexible schedule.
- Keep a record you can use next season.
Save your planned date, then change it to the day you actually plant. Record completion in My Garden; the reference calendar stays separate from your own history.
WHY LOCATION MATTERS
One crop. Five different calendars.
How the same crop’s average date compares with Rio Grande Valley.
Texas PanhandleJuly 1578 days earlierWest TexasAugust 161 days earlierCentral & East TexasSeptember 130 days earlierCoastal South TexasSeptember 1021 days earlierSource, scope & a little context.
Table 1 supplies average fall planting dates. Table 2 supplies last optimum dates only for the crops it lists. Figure 1 defines the five historical gardening regions; these are not current USDA hardiness zones.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension · Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide (EHT-056) ↗Dates: Table 1, p. 2. Region: Figure 1, p. 3. Source checked 2026-09-27. Editorial care notes are general planning advice; your county Extension office can refine them.
Read our methodology →