Cucumber, Cucumis sativus, technically qualifies as a summer vegetable. Several types can be productive through the warmest of summer weather. However, locally arid warmth can cause fruit of many varieties to be bitter. Such varieties perform better through spring or autumn instead of summer. Their seed should start a month or so before their season.

Individual cucumber vines are productive for less than a month anyway. Those that grow through summer will need occasional replacement to stay productive. Even within a brief spring or autumn season, more than a single phase is possible. Summer aridity does not limit performance for all varieties, but winter frost does. Consistent irrigation is important.

Most of the many cucumber varieties classify as slicing, pickling or seedless cucumbers. The biggest can potentially grow two feet long or four inches wide. The most popular are best before they mature, though. They are ready for harvest when just a few inches long. Regular harvesting promotes continuous production. Vines can climb about six feet high.