Gherkin · Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
When to plant gherkins in Guangzhou
Main outdoor window
24 Jan - 14 Feb
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
10 January
In Guangzhou, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Jul - 30 Sep
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Guangzhou
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Start indoors
12 Dec - 3 Jan
Four weeks before your last frost, under cover or on a windowsill.
Sow direct
24 Jan - 14 Feb
Two weeks after your last frost.
Plant out
24 Jan - 14 Feb
Two weeks after your last frost.
Harvest
1 Jul - 30 Sep
Gherkins through the year
Against the frost risk in Guangzhou
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Guangzhou
June has the highest average precipitation (331 mm); December has the lowest (30 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Guangzhou
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.9°C (48°F)48°F (8.9°C) | 20.9°C (69.5°F)69.5°F (20.9°C) | 0.2 |
| February | 11.4°C (52.5°F)52.5°F (11.4°C) | 23.1°C (73.5°F)73.5°F (23.1°C) | 0.0 |
| March | 15.3°C (59.6°F)59.6°F (15.3°C) | 26.5°C (79.8°F)79.8°F (26.5°C) | 0.0 |
| April | 19.4°C (67°F)67°F (19.4°C) | 29.3°C (84.7°F)84.7°F (29.3°C) | 0.0 |
| May | 22.7°C (72.9°F)72.9°F (22.7°C) | 30.6°C (87.1°F)87.1°F (30.6°C) | 0.0 |
| June | 25.1°C (77.2°F)77.2°F (25.1°C) | 31°C (87.8°F)87.8°F (31°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 25.5°C (77.9°F)77.9°F (25.5°C) | 31.7°C (89°F)89°F (31.7°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 25.3°C (77.5°F)77.5°F (25.3°C) | 31.6°C (88.9°F)88.9°F (31.6°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 23.5°C (74.4°F)74.4°F (23.5°C) | 30.8°C (87.5°F)87.5°F (30.8°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 19.4°C (66.9°F)66.9°F (19.4°C) | 29°C (84.2°F)84.2°F (29°C) | 0.0 |
| November | 14.8°C (58.7°F)58.7°F (14.8°C) | 26.3°C (79.3°F)79.3°F (26.3°C) | 0.0 |
| December | 9.4°C (48.9°F)48.9°F (9.4°C) | 21.7°C (71°F)71°F (21.7°C) | 0.3 |
For gherkins, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing gherkins for Guangzhou
- June is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 331 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant gherkins
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 15°C (59°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Pick small fruits often for consistent pickling size
Provide warmth, fertile soil and consistent moisture. A trellis can improve access, but exposed container-grown vines may dry faster and need secure support.
Pick at the intended small size frequently; hidden fruits can quickly become overgrown. Use clean, sound produce and a tested preservation method when making pickles.
What to record this season
How often did you need to pick to maintain a consistent small fruit size? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cucumis sativus . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The reference describes crop identity and cultivation. North Carolina planting dates are not local dates for other regions.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Provide warmth, fertile soil and consistent moisture. A trellis can improve access, but exposed container-grown vines may dry faster and need secure support.
Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.
This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Gherkins are timed from 4 weeks before that frost for an indoor start, with planting out 2 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Guangzhou.
The median frost-free season here is 348 days, against 50 to 65 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in Guangzhou
Other vegetables to time
Growing gherkins in Guangzhou
Can I grow gherkins in Guangzhou?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. June is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 331 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant gherkins in Guangzhou?
Aim for 24 Jan - 14 Feb in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 14 Feb - 7 Mar - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might gherkins be ready to harvest in Guangzhou?
The estimated period is 1 Jul - 30 Sep, based on 50 to 65 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will gherkins tolerate?
Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.