What Grows in Anahuac, Texas

USDA Zones 9b · 1K acres

Anahuac, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

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 Anahuac, 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 Anahuac 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 Anahuac — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Anahuac — the short answer

Anahuac, Texas: USDA zone 9b, about 326 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of city.

USDA zone
9b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Jan 25
Chambers County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 17
Chambers County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~326
Chambers County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
1K 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 Chambers 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 Anahuac's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Anahuac's 326-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Anahuac

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

Season length

From county records

Anahuac runs about 326 days between hard freezes (read from Chambers County, the closest normal to Anahuac) — 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

Anahuac 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 Anahuac is in

Anahuac sits in the Western Gulf Coastal Plain — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at Anahuac's own centroid rather than borrowed from Chambers County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Anahuac

Every plant below cleared Anahuac's own zone 9b and its 326-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

okra, photograph
Growing okra in TexasZones 2–12Anahuac's 326 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Meyer lemon, photograph
Texas meyer lemon guideZones 9–11Anahuac's 9b is its exact cold limit.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Anahuac's 9b — 3 zones of cold margin.
artichoke, photograph
Artichoke: Texas growing notesZones 7–11Anahuac's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Growing avocado in TexasZones 9–11Anahuac's 9b is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10Anahuac's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Anahuac's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
banana, photograph
Banana: Texas growing notesZones 9–11Anahuac's 9b is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in TexasAnahuac's 326 days clear the ~90 it needs.
collard greens, photograph
Texas collard greens guideZones 2–11Anahuac's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale in TexasZones 2–11Anahuac's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Anahuac's 326 days clear the ~70 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in TexasZones 2–11Anahuac's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Texas pumpkin guideZones 3–11Anahuac's 326 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in TexasZones 2–11Anahuac's 326 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Anahuac's 9b — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Anahuac's 326 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Anahuac's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in TexasZones 7–11Anahuac's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
agave, photograph
Agave: Texas growing notesZones 8–11Anahuac's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasAnahuac's 326 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Anahuac's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Anahuac's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Anahuac's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
palo verde, photograph
Growing palo verde in TexasZones 8–11Anahuac's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
jungle rice, photograph
Texas jungle rice guideZones 7–13Anahuac's 326 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Anahuac's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Anahuac's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
lablab, photograph
Growing lablab in TexasZones 7–13Anahuac's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Anahuac's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Anahuac?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. 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 25 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 17 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the calendar nearly circles: cool-season crops take the winter shift, and the next window is always close.

What's on the federal record near Anahuac

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

  1. SUNRISE GROCERYUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  2. FDICUnderground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  3. ANAHUAC ISDUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  4. K-SOLV FUEL SERVICESToxics Release Inventory · 2200 ft
  5. ANAHUAC TRANSPORTBrownfields · 2200 ft
  6. CHAMBERS COUNTYUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  7. SCHERER MOCOUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  8. FAMILY DOLLAR #5902Brownfields · 0.6 mi
  9. G E W CHEVRONUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  10. DH-64-11-801Nitrate · 0.7 mi
  11. ALLIGATOR EXPRESSUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  12. UCAR PIPELINE INCBrownfields · 0.8 mi

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

Measured from Anahuac'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 Anahuac.

Total Sites

197

within ~10 miles of Anahuac

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

2 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Anahuac

High1Moderate123Low73

Highest-Severity Sites

Tbcd West Treatment Plant
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
7-Eleven Store 36510
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7-Eleven Store 59900
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Alligator Express
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Country Boys Country Store
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Anahuac, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 96 sites within ~10 miles of Anahuac. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Anahuac

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 Anahuac average

Your land is one point inside Anahuac

Everything above resolves to Anahuac as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 1K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Chambers County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this city’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 city 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 Anahuac Average

Anahuac Average

  • USDA Zones 9b, averaged across Anahuac
  • One soil character for all of Anahuac
  • Frost dates read at Anahuac's scale: Jan 25 to Dec 17

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Anahuac

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Anahuac averages 326Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Anahuac

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Chambers 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 city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-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 Anahuac

When does frost risk typically end in Anahuac?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Anahuac typically lands around Jan 25, 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 15.

When is the first frost in Anahuac?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Anahuac typically arrives around Dec 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Dec 3, so the watching starts about Nov 17 — about 326 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Anahuac?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Anahuac sees about 326 frost-free days — roughly Jan 25 through Dec 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Feb 15 to Dec 3, about 291 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Anahuac?

The federal record around Anahuac shows 197 documented sites, mostly Nitrate entries (96), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out — a typical footprint for a growing area, and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. It's worth seeing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and testing the soil before new food beds near any of them.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Anahuac?

From about Nov 17 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 17 (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 17. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Anahuac's scale — its 9b band and its 326-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Anahuac'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 Anahuac’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Anahuac's own scale — the 1,327 acres it covers and 197 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Anahuac's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 197 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Anahuac, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Anahuac's boundary and the 1,327 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9b and a ~326-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Anahuac's own centroid, the Western Gulf Coastal PlainUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Anahuac has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Chambers County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Anahuac's 1,327 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Chambers County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Chambers County
  • The growing challenges every Texas grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Texas
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Chambers County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Anahuac's 1,327 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Anahuac you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,327 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Anahuac-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address