Growing cucumber
Cucumis sativus · also called Khira, KheeraA fast-growing warm-season vine producing crisp, hydrating fruits.
Arid west: Rajasthan, Kutch, north Gujarat
At a glance
Cucumber in the Arid west
Summer (zaid) and rainy season
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.About 80 to 100 days from sowing to the last picking.
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.February to mid-March
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.45 to 55 days after sowing
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
- Sow
- Nursery
- Transplant
- Harvest
- Under cover
- Today
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arid west | February to mid-MarchLate June to July | |||
| Temperate Himalaya | April to May | Mid-June to July | ||
| Cold desertUnder cover only | Under cover: April to mid-May | Under cover: Mid-June to mid-September | ||
| Sub-tropical foothills | February to MarchJune to JulyUnder cover: JanuaryUnder cover: First half of January | Under cover: Last week of December to first week of January | Under cover: By the first half of February | |
| North-west plains | February to MarchJune to JulyUnder cover: Mid-November | Under cover: Mid-SeptemberUnder cover: January | Under cover: First week of OctoberUnder cover: First half of February | |
| Gangetic plains | Mid to late FebruaryLate June | |||
| North-east hills and valleys | February to mid-April | |||
| Central plateau | Mid-January to FebruaryJune to mid-July | |||
| Deccan plateau | June to July | |||
| South interior | JuneJanuary to April | |||
| West coast | January to MarchSeptember to December | |||
| East coast | JuneJanuary to April |
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
At field preparation
Well-rotted farmyard manure (FYM)
15 to 20 t per hectare
Work into the soil
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Day 0
Sow
Day 45 to 55
First picking
Pick every 2 to 3 days.
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Day 80 to 100
Last picking
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Before sowing
Well-rotted farmyard manure (FYM)No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
15 to 20 t per hectare · Work into the soil · At field preparation
Day 0
Sow
Day 5 to 7
Seeds come up1,2,3,8Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 45 to 55
First pickingNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Pick every 2 to 3 days.
Day 80 to 100
Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water every 3 to 4 days, more at flowering and fruiting.No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,2,3
6.5 to 7.5
Well-drained loam or sandy loam, rich in organic matter
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun, at least 6 hours a day.
Temperature2,8
Grows best at 18 to 24 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the Arid west aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
WateringNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water every 3 to 4 days in hot, dry weather and less in the rainy season. Drip saves water.
WeedingNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Hoe and hand weed two or three times before the vines spread.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| At field preparation | Well-rotted farmyard manure (FYM) | 15 to 20 t per hectare | Work into the soil |
Varieties and yield
8 to 12 tonnes a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Good neighboursNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Grows well with
Keep it away from
Pests and diseasesNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Organic and cultural controls only.
Red pumpkin beetle
Signs
Orange beetles chew the seed leaves and young leaves soon after the seed comes up.
What to do
- Pick the beetles off by hand in the early morning.
- Dust young plants with wood ash.
Prevention
- Cover young plants with fine net until the vines start to run.
Fruit fly
Signs
Lays eggs in young fruit, which then rots.
What to do
- Collect and bury stung and fallen fruit.
- Hang fruit fly traps.
Prevention
- Turn the soil after the crop so pupae dry out.
Powdery mildew
Signs
White powdery patches on the leaves and stems.
What to do
- Pick off badly affected leaves.
Prevention
- Space the vines so air moves between them.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed2
Keep at least 1000 m between cucumber varieties so the seed stays true to type. Pull out off-type and sick plants.
When the seed is ready
Leave seed fruit on the vine until it turns brown.
Cleaning the seed
Scoop the pulp into fresh water and leave it one to two days. Rub the seed free by hand and keep the heavy seed that sinks.
After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Pull out the vines after the last picking. Compost healthy vines and destroy diseased ones, and do not follow with another cucurbit.
Destroy old cucurbit vines so downy mildew has nowhere to overwinter.
Rotation
Where root knot nematode is a problem, rotate with rice, oats, wheat or taramira.
From the shop
Linked from this guide by our team.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Cucumber: crop production guide (Horticulture, vegetables)TNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Pusa Gynoecious Cucumber Hybrid-18 (Indian Horticulture, May to June 2021, pages 40 to 43)ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Division of Vegetable Science (Munshi, Behera, Sureja, Tomar, Singh and Dey)Read the source
- Advisory for Kharif Season in Uttarakhand (2 May 2020)G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Directorate of Extension EducationRead the source
- Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops 2020 (chapter 6, Cucumber; cucurbit pest and disease management; hybrids; cropping systems; protected and river bed cultivation)Directorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
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