What Grows in Cambrian Park, California

USDA Zones 9b · 370 acres

Cambrian Park, California, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.

Growers here do well with okra, meyer lemon, california poppy, and artichoke — with the usual caveat that any single yard's soil, sun, and drainage cast the deciding vote.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Cambrian Park, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Cambrian Park lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Cambrian Park — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

No card required · your full report in seconds

Cambrian Park — the short answer

Cambrian Park, California: USDA zone 9b, about 331 days between hard freezes, across 370 acres of town.

USDA zone
9b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Jan 17
Santa Clara County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 14
Santa Clara County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~331
Santa Clara County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
370 acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Santa Clara County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

9b9b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 9b is Cambrian Park's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Cambrian Park's 331-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Cambrian Park

Each reading below is measured for Cambrian Park itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Cambrian Park runs about 331 days between hard freezes (read from Santa Clara County, the closest normal to Cambrian Park) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Cambrian Park sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Cambrian Park is in

Cambrian Park sits in the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Mediterranean California. That is read at Cambrian Park's own centroid rather than borrowed from Santa Clara County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Cambrian Park

Every plant below cleared Cambrian Park's own zone 9b and its 331-day season. Each card opens that plant's California profile. How we score.

okra, photograph
Growing okra in CaliforniaZones 2–12Cambrian Park's 331 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Meyer lemon, photograph
California meyer lemon guideZones 9–11Cambrian Park's 9b is its exact cold limit.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in CaliforniaZones 6–10Cambrian Park's 9b — 3 zones of cold margin.
artichoke, photograph
Artichoke: California growing notesZones 7–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Growing avocado in CaliforniaZones 9–11Cambrian Park's 9b is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
California rosemary guideZones 8–10Cambrian Park's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage in CaliforniaZones 2–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
banana, photograph
Banana: California growing notesZones 9–11Cambrian Park's 9b is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in CaliforniaCambrian Park's 331 days clear the ~90 it needs.
collard greens, photograph
California collard greens guideZones 2–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale in CaliforniaZones 2–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: California growing notesZones 2–11Cambrian Park's 331 days clear the ~70 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in CaliforniaZones 2–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
California pumpkin guideZones 3–11Cambrian Park's 331 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in CaliforniaZones 2–11Cambrian Park's 331 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: California growing notesZones 3–10Cambrian Park's 9b — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in CaliforniaZones 2–11Cambrian Park's 331 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
California apache plume guideZones 5–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in CaliforniaZones 7–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
agave, photograph
Agave: California growing notesZones 8–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in CaliforniaCambrian Park's 331 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
California holly guideZones 5–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in CaliforniaZones 7–10Cambrian Park's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: California growing notesZones 5–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
palo verde, photograph
Growing palo verde in CaliforniaZones 8–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
jungle rice, photograph
California jungle rice guideZones 7–13Cambrian Park's 331 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in CaliforniaZones 5–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: California growing notesZones 5–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
lablab, photograph
Growing lablab in CaliforniaZones 7–13Cambrian Park's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
liriope, photograph
California liriope guideZones 5–11Cambrian Park's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Cambrian Park?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 1; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Jan 17 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 14 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. And with a calendar this mild, the honest answer is that planting barely stops — winter opens seasons colder regions never see.

What's on the federal record near Cambrian Park

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Cambrian Park. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. THE HARKER SCHOOLBrownfields · 850 ft
  2. CHUNKI PARKBrownfields · 1100 ft
  3. WEINGARTEN NOSTAT INCBrownfields · 1500 ft
  4. CAMBRIAN PLAZA DRY CLEANERSBrownfields · 1600 ft
  5. DOLLAR TREE #03823Brownfields · 1700 ft
  6. Grand Gas UnionUnderground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  7. PRO SWEEPBrownfields · 1800 ft
  8. CAMBRIAN CLEANERSBrownfields · 2000 ft
  9. MOE'S STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  10. ERIC'S CLEANERSBrownfields · 2000 ft
  11. TRIPLE G INCORPORATEDBrownfields · 2100 ft
  12. GP SPORTSBrownfields · 2200 ft

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Cambrian Park's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Cambrian Park.

Total Sites

7,881

within ~10 miles of Cambrian Park

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

38 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Cambrian Park

High65Moderate801Low7,015

Highest-Severity Sites

Advanced Micro Devices INC
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Advanced Micro Devices, INC.
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Applied Materials Incorporated
Superfund · Superfund NPL
America Mine
Mining Sites · Past Producer

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Cambrian Park, Brownfields runs higher than the national average — 7,013 sites within ~10 miles of Cambrian Park. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

Brownfields: Brownfield sites are former commercial or industrial properties where legacy soil contamination (heavy metals, PAHs, petroleum compounds) may persist.

Check EPA brownfield remediation status — many sites have completed cleanup with institutional controls.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Cambrian Park

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Cambrian Park average

Your land is one point inside Cambrian Park

Everything above resolves to Cambrian Park as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 370 acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Santa Clara County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Cambrian Park Average

Cambrian Park Average

  • USDA Zones 9b, averaged across Cambrian Park
  • One soil character for all of Cambrian Park
  • Frost dates read at Cambrian Park's scale: Jan 17 to Dec 14

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Cambrian Park's 9b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Cambrian Park

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Cambrian Park, California — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Cambrian Park averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Cambrian Park averages 331Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Cambrian Park — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Cambrian Park average

How we know this about Cambrian Park

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Santa Clara County’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Cambrian Park

When does frost risk typically end in Cambrian Park?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Cambrian Park typically lands around Jan 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about Feb 7.

When is the first frost in Cambrian Park?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Cambrian Park typically arrives around Dec 14, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 30, so the watching starts about Nov 14 — about 331 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Cambrian Park?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Cambrian Park sees about 331 frost-free days — roughly Jan 17 through Dec 14, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Feb 7 to Nov 30, about 296 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Cambrian Park?

The federal record around Cambrian Park runs heavier than most — 7,881 documented sites, mostly Brownfields entries (7,013), the nearest Brownfields record about 0.2 miles out — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Cambrian Park?

From about Nov 14 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Dec 14 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Dec 14. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Cambrian Park's scale — its 9b band and its 331-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Cambrian Park's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Cambrian Park’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Cambrian Park's own scale — the 370 acres it covers and 7,881 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Cambrian Park's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 7,881 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Cambrian Park, the closest Brownfields record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Cambrian Park's boundary and the 370 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9b and a ~331-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Cambrian Park's own centroid, the Central California Foothills and Coastal MountainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Cambrian Park has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Santa Clara County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Cambrian Park's 370 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Santa Clara County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Santa Clara County
  • The growing challenges every California grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom California
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Santa Clara County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Cambrian Park's 370 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Cambrian Park you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 370 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record about 0.2 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Cambrian Park-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address