Rankings · Alaska

Best Soil for Gardening in Alaska

How we ranked

In Alaska, the most good growing ground is in Greater Delta Area, Alaska, where 29% of the land rates Class I–II. Lower Kenai Peninsula - Northern Chugach Islands Area, Alaska is at the other end with 0%.

USDA grades every mapped soil into a land capability class from I to VIII, for growing crops without irrigation. Class I and II soils have few or moderate limitations: deep, workable, enough water. Classes III and IV can be farmed with care. Classes V through VIII are steep, stony, wet, shallow, or too dry, and are usually left to grass, range or woods.

We rank by the share of land in Class I–II. One thing to know: the grade includes rainfall. In dry states much of the land rates Class VI or VII simply because crops need watering there, so a watered garden on that ground can still do well. Look up your address for the pH, texture and water-holding that matter for a backyard bed.

Class I–II · good ground for growingIII–IV · workable with careV–VIII · best left to grass, range or woodsnot rated

#	Survey area	Class I–II	Drains well	Main soil order
1	Greater Delta Area, Alaska	29%	69%	Inceptisols
2	Greater Fairbanks Area, Alaska	12%	49%	Gelisols
3	Greater Nenana Area, Alaska	7%	60%	Inceptisols
4	Kantishna Area, Alaska	2%	46%	Gelisols
5	Fort Greely and Donnelly Training Area, Alaska	1%	41%	Gelisols
6	Upper Tanana Area, Alaska	1%	36%	Inceptisols
7	Fort Wainwright Area, Alaska	1%	24%	Gelisols
8	North Star Area, Alaska	0%	34%	Inceptisols
9	Anchorage Area, Alaska	0%	66%	Spodosols
10	Gerstle River Area, Alaska	0%	60%	Inceptisols
11	Matanuska-Susitna Valley Area, Alaska	0%	57%	Spodosols
12	Copper River Area, Alaska	0%	44%	Gelisols
13	Kodiak Archipelago Area, Alaska	0%	53%	Andisols
14	Skagway-Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska	0%	20%	Inceptisols
15	Seward Area, Alaska	0%	46%	Spodosols
16	Totchaket Area, Alaska	0%	45%	Inceptisols
17	Nulato Hills Area, Alaska	0%	55%	Inceptisols
18	Yentna Area, Alaska	0%	55%	Spodosols
19	Southern Wood-Tikchik Area, Alaska	0%	65%	Inceptisols
20	Bristol Bay-Northern Alaska Peninsula, North and Bordering Areas, Alaska	0%	79%	Inceptisols
21	Togiak National Wildlife Refuge-Ahklun Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	80%	Inceptisols
22	Cantwell Area, Alaska	0%	62%	Inceptisols
23	Lower Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska	0%	94%	Spodosols
24	Haines Area, Alaska	0%	51%	Spodosols
25	Ketchikan Area, Alaska	0%	21%	Histosols
26	Stikine Area, Alaska	0%	13%	Spodosols
27	Chatham Area, Alaska	0%	24%	Spodosols
28	Gulkana River Area, Alaska	0%	28%	Gelisols
29	Denali National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska	0%	30%	Gelisols
30	Western Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska	0%	56%	Spodosols
31	Saint Paul Island Area, Alaska	0%	86%	Andisols
32	Western Interior Rivers Area, Alaska	0%	64%	Inceptisols
33	Delta River Area, Alaska	0%	52%	Spodosols
34	Stewart River Training Site, Alaska	0%	70%	Inceptisols
35	North Copper River Area, Alaska	0%	47%	Inceptisols
36	Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska	0%	13%	Gelisols
37	Yukon Flats Area, Alaska	0%	54%	Gelisols
38	White Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	50%	Gelisols
39	Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska	0%	24%	Entisols
40	Yakutat Area, Alaska	0%	16%	Entisols
41	Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Nunivak Island Refuge Area, Alaska	0%	21%	Gelisols
42	St. Mathew Island Area, Alaska	0%	60%	Gelisols
43	St. Lawrence Island Area, Alaska	0%	36%	Gelisols
44	Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Western Part Area, Alaska	0%	30%	Gelisols
45	Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Yukon River Area, Alaska	0%	17%	Gelisols
46	Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Kuskoskwim River Area, Alaska	0%	6%	Gelisols
47	Chugach National Forest - Kenai Peninsula West Area, Alaska	0%	73%	Spodosols
48	Chugach National Forest - Kenai Peninsula East Area, Alaska	0%	5%	Spodosols
49	Chugach National Forest - Prince William Sound Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Histosols
50	Robinson Mountains and Gulf of Alaska Coast Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Entisols
51	Togiak National Wildlife Refuge - Southwestern Part and Bordering Area, Alaska	0%	48%	Inceptisols
52	Southern Nulato Hills Area, Alaska	0%	43%	Gelisols
53	Reindeer and Iditarod Rivers Area, Alaska	0%	62%	Gelisols
54	Western Ahklun Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	93%	Inceptisols
55	Aleutian Mountains - Lake Clark Area, Alaska	0%	48%	Spodosols
56	Alaska Peninsula - Iliamna and Bristol Bay Lowlands Area, Alaska	0%	41%	Andisols
57	Alaska Peninsula - Port Heiden and Port Moller Area, Alaska	0%	85%	Entisols
58	Katmai National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska	0%	63%	Andisols
59	Alaska Peninsula - Aniakchak and Unimak Area, Alaska	0%	43%	Andisols
60	Alaska Range - Tordrillo Mountains and Happy River Area, Alaska	0%	42%	Spodosols
61	Alaska Range - Revelation Mountains and Stink River Area, Alaska	0%	85%	Spodosols
62	Interior Rivers - Lime Hills and Kuskokwim Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	46%	Gelisols
63	Kuskokwim - Kaiyuh Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	30%	Gelisols
64	Tanana - Kuskokwim Lowlands - Snohomish and Trimokish Hills Area, Alaska	0%	29%	Gelisols
65	Tatlanika and Wood River Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Gelisols
66	Alaska Range - Clearwater Mountains and Susitna River Area, Alaska	0%	47%	Inceptisols
67	Kuskokwim Mountains and Bordering Area, Alaska	0%	48%	Gelisols
68	Yukon River Lowlands and Innoko National Wildlife Refuge South Area, Alaska	0%	4%	Gelisols
69	Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Area, Alaska	0%	64%	Gelisols
70	Yukon River Lowlands and Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, North Area, Alaska	0%	30%	Gelisols
71	Ray Mountains - Kokrines Hills and Yukon River Area, Alaska	0%	60%	Gelisols
72	Yukon River Lowlands - Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska	0%	44%	Gelisols
73	Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska	0%	46%	Gelisols
74	Seward Peninsula and Nulato Hills Area, Alaska	0%	10%	Gelisols
75	Southern Baird Mountains and Kiana Hills Area, Alaska	0%	37%	Gelisols
76	De Long Mountains West and Noatak River Area, Alaska	0%	24%	Gelisols
77	Seward Peninsula - Kotzebue Sound and Kivalik River Area, Alaska	0%	12%	Gelisols
78	Alaska Range - Brushkana Area, Alaska	0%	50%	Inceptisols
79	Selawik National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska	0%	8%	Gelisols
80	Brooks Range and Ray Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	71%	Gelisols
81	Ray Mountains and Bordering Area, Alaska	0%	88%	Inceptisols
82	Purcell Mountains, Pah River Flats and Koyukuk River Area, Alaska	0%	52%	Gelisols
83	Brooks Range and Kobuk River - Nana Area, Alaska	0%	46%	Inceptisols
84	Kobuk Ridges and Valleys - Alatna Hills and Bordering Area, Alaska	0%	54%	Gelisols
85	Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska	0%	33%	Gelisols
86	Ray Mountains - Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge Northwest Area, Alaska	0%	32%	Gelisols
87	North Ogilvie and Yukon - Old Crow Basin Area, Alaska	0%	44%	Gelisols
88	Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Beaufort Coastal Plain Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Gelisols
89	Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Brooks Range East Area, Alaska	0%	65%	Gelisols
90	Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Davidson Mountains and Coleen River Area, Alaska	0%	21%	Gelisols
91	Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Brooks Range West Area, Alaska	0%	71%	Inceptisols
92	Brooks Range and Davidson Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	72%	Inceptisols
93	Brooks Range - Gates Of The Arctic National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska	0%	68%	Inceptisols
94	Brooks Range - Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak Preserve Area, Alaska	0%	16%	Gelisols
95	Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and Shishmarev Area, Alaska	0%	4%	Gelisols
96	Cape Krusenstern National Monument and Bordering Area, Alaska	0%	43%	Gelisols
97	Brooks Range - Brooks Foothills Area, Alaska	0%	5%	Gelisols
98	Brooks Range - Brooks Foothills - Lisburne Peninsula Area, Alaska	0%	6%	Gelisols
99	National Petroleum Reserve - Brooks Foothills South Area, Alaska	0%	9%	Gelisols
100	Brooks Foothills - Killik, Chandler, and Anaktuvuk Rivers Area, Alaska	0%	3%	Gelisols
101	National Petroleum Reserve - Beaufort Coastal Plain Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Gelisols
102	National Petroleum Reserve - Brooks Foothills North Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Gelisols
103	Beaufort Coastal Plain - Deadhorse Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Gelisols
104	White Hills - Kuparuk River Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Gelisols
105	Brooks Foothills - Toolik River Area, Alaska	0%	2%	Gelisols
106	Ray Mountains and Yukon River Lowlands Area, Alaska	0%	70%	Gelisols
107	Alaska Range - Granite Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	32%	Inceptisols
108	Yukon Tanana Uplands West and Bordering Area, Alaska	0%	87%	Inceptisols
109	Yukon Tanana Uplands East and Bordering Area, Alaska	0%	84%	Inceptisols
110	Alaska Range - Nelchina Public Use Area, Alaska	0%	68%	Inceptisols
111	Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains - Cook Inlet Area, Alaska	0%	60%	Spodosols
112	Chugach Mountains - Eagle River Area, Alaska	0%	69%	Spodosols
113	Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska	0%	53%	Spodosols
114	Kenai Peninsula - Kenai Fjords National Park and Bordering Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Histosols
115	Kenai Mountains and Kachemak Bay State Park Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Spodosols
116	Parts Of Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska	0%	28%	Inceptisols
117	Boundary Range - Chilkat River Area, Alaska	0%	3%	Histosols
118	Chugach St. Elias and Boundary Ranges - Coastal Rainforest Area, Alaska	0%	2%	Histosols
119	St. George Island Area, Alaska	0%	100%	Andisols
120	Kuskokwim - Kilbuck Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	69%	Inceptisols
121	Aleutian Islands - Sanak Islands Area, Alaska	0%	21%	Andisols
122	Aleutian Islands - Unalaska and Andreanof Islands Area, Alaska	0%	81%	Andisols
123	Aleutian Islands - Semisopotchnoi Island Area, Alaska	0%	70%	Andisols
124	Aleutian Islands - Amchitka Island Area, Alaska	0%	100%	Andisols
125	Aleutian Islands - Little Simkin, Khvostof, Segula and Davidof Islands Area, Alaska	0%	75%	Andisols
126	Aleutian Islands - Kiska Island Area, Alaska	0%	88%	Andisols
127	Aleutian Islands - Agattu Island Area, Alaska	0%	24%	Andisols
128	Aleutian Islands - Attu Island Area, Alaska	0%	77%	Inceptisols
129	Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge - Tanana Kuskokwim Lowlands Area, Alaska	0%	22%	Gelisols
130	Tongass National Forest - Klukwah and Takshanuk Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	11%	Histosols
131	Alaska Range - Parts Of Mentasta Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	70%	Inceptisols
132	North Ogilvie Mountains - Step Mountains Area, Alaska	0%	74%	Gelisols
133	Tanana and Chatanika River Area, Alaska	0%	5%	Gelisols
134	Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Spodosols
135	Barren Islands Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Histosols
136	Middleton Island Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Histosols
137	Lower Kenai Peninsula - Northern Chugach Islands Area, Alaska	0%	0%	Spodosols