Best Soil for Gardening in Arkansas
Arkansas has 70 USDA soil survey areas, and they vary considerably in how friendly the ground is for growing things. We ranked every survey area by the percentage of well-drained soil — the single most important soil property for most garden plants.
At the top, Van Buren County, Arkansas has 99% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Chicot County, Arkansas comes in at 6%, meaning more of the landscape has drainage challenges that may require raised beds, soil amendments, or careful site selection for a productive garden.
Remember that these are area-wide averages. Even in a low-ranking survey area, individual properties can have excellent garden soil. Look up your specific address for exact conditions.
| # | Survey Area | Well-Drained Soils | Dominant Drainage | Dominant Soil Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Van Buren County, Arkansas | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 2 | Cleburne County, Arkansas | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 3 | Fulton County, Arkansas | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 4 | Johnson County, Arkansas | 96% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 5 | Scott County, Arkansas | 96% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 6 | Sharp County, Arkansas | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 7 | Pope County, Arkansas | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 8 | Polk County, Arkansas | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 9 | Crawford County, Arkansas | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 10 | Newton County, Arkansas | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 11 | Izard County, Arkansas | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 12 | Logan County, Arkansas | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 13 | Madison County, Arkansas | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 14 | Perry County, Arkansas | 91% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 15 | Montgomery County, Arkansas | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 16 | Saline County, Arkansas | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 17 | Pike County, Arkansas | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 18 | Yell County, Arkansas | 87% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 19 | Baxter County, Arkansas | 87% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 20 | Conway County, Arkansas | 87% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 21 | Franklin County, Arkansas | 86% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 22 | Stone County, Arkansas | 86% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 23 | Boone County, Arkansas | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 24 | Sebastian County, Arkansas | 83% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 25 | Washington County, Arkansas | 82% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 26 | Carroll County, Arkansas | 81% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 27 | Searcy County, Arkansas | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 28 | Faulkner County, Arkansas | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 29 | Howard County, Arkansas | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 30 | Hot Spring County, Arkansas | 79% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 31 | Randolph County, Arkansas | 78% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 32 | Marion County, Arkansas | 78% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 33 | Independence County, Arkansas | 74% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 34 | Pulaski County, Arkansas | 73% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 35 | Garland County, Arkansas | 70% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 36 | Hempstead County, Arkansas | 69% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 37 | Columbia County, Arkansas | 67% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 38 | White County, Arkansas | 67% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 39 | Benton County, Arkansas | 65% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 40 | Sevier County, Arkansas | 65% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 41 | Union County, Arkansas | 64% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 42 | Clark County, Arkansas | 62% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 43 | Nevada County, Arkansas | 56% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 44 | Ouachita County, Arkansas | 53% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 45 | Lafayette, Little River, and Miller Counties, Arkansas | 50% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 46 | Grant County, Arkansas | 48% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 47 | Lawrence County, Arkansas | 45% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 48 | Cleveland County, Arkansas | 44% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 49 | Jefferson and Lincoln Counties, Arkansas | 44% | Somewhat poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 50 | Drew County, Arkansas | 43% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 51 | Calhoun and Dallas Counties, Arkansas | 39% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 52 | Greene County, Arkansas | 38% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 53 | Lonoke and Prairie Counties, Arkansas | 31% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 54 | Bradley County, Arkansas | 31% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 55 | Ashley County, Arkansas | 29% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 56 | Clay County, Arkansas | 26% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 57 | Woodruff County, Arkansas | 26% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 58 | Jackson County, Arkansas | 25% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 59 | Lee County, Arkansas | 23% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 60 | Craighead County, Arkansas | 22% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 61 | Monroe County, Arkansas | 18% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 62 | Phillips County, Arkansas | 18% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 63 | Arkansas County, Arkansas | 17% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 64 | St. Francis County, Arkansas | 16% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 65 | Cross County, Arkansas | 13% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 66 | Mississippi County, Arkansas | 11% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 67 | Poinsett County, Arkansas | 9% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 68 | Crittenden County, Arkansas | 9% | Poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 69 | Desha County, Arkansas | 8% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 70 | Chicot County, Arkansas | 6% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |