Divisi
When to plant Cucumber in City of Cape Town
Western Cape, South Africa
Known here as komkommer
Cucumber is a fast, thirsty climbing vine grown for its crisp young fruit — picked small and often, before the seeds inside go hard.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 14 Aug 2027 – 16 Sep 2027 opens in 45 weeks | 29 Aug 2026 – 2 Mar 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 11.5 t/ha | about 40.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 28 Sep 2027 to 25 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 45–70 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 120–247 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 58% | |
Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.
If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 25 Aug 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for City of Cape Town is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 16 Sep 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in City of Cape Town
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For cucumber in City of Cape Town, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 88%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The 2027 season in City of Cape Town
| When the rains are expected | April 2027 to October 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 499 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 499 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.0 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can. |
| What that supports | enough rain for one full main crop, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 67% of this area. |
| 67% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 203 growing days · about 600 mm · April to October |
|---|---|
| 14% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 167 growing days · about 500 mm · April to September |
| 12% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 215 growing days · about 640 mm · March to November |
| 7% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 206 growing days · about 540 mm · April to October |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 45% of yield here.
What cucumber needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8 |
| Rain it needs | About 1,000–1,200 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 150 cm between rows, 40 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow cucumber in City of Cape Town
| Nitrogen (N) | About 21 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 12 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 34 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 120–247 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a cucumber crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.
What to watch for
Grow Cucumber with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes City of Cape Town as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.
Cucumber in nearby districts
This calendar moves
Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.
Frequently asked questions
Will cucumber grow well in City of Cape Town?
City of Cape Town rates as favourable for cucumber.
When should I plant cucumber in City of Cape Town?
Typically 14 Aug 2027 to 16 Sep 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across City of Cape Town, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
