Best Soil for Gardening in Florida
Florida has 74 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, Jackson County, Florida has 66% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Everglades National Park, Florida comes in at 0%, 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 | Jackson County, Florida | 66% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 2 | Gadsden County, Florida | 63% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 3 | Holmes County, Florida | 59% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 4 | Suwannee County, Florida | 57% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 5 | Leon County, Florida | 47% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 6 | Santa Rosa County, Florida | 39% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 7 | Washington County, Florida | 38% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 8 | Jefferson County, Florida | 38% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 9 | Alachua County, Florida | 37% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 10 | Escambia County, Florida | 33% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 11 | Calhoun County, Florida | 32% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 12 | Madison County, Florida | 32% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 13 | Walton County, Florida | 31% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 14 | Gilchrist County, Florida | 30% | Excessively drained | Entisols |
| 15 | Marion County Area, Florida | 27% | Excessively drained | Alfisols |
| 16 | Columbia County, Florida | 25% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 17 | Okaloosa County, Florida | 24% | Excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 18 | Levy County, Florida | 22% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 19 | Pasco County, Florida | 21% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 20 | Miami-Dade County Area, Florida | 19% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 21 | Biscayne National Park, Florida | 18% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 22 | Monroe County, Keys Area, Florida | 18% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 23 | Citrus County, Florida | 17% | Excessively drained | Entisols |
| 24 | Polk County, Florida | 16% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 25 | Wakulla County, Florida | 15% | Very poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 26 | Lafayette County, Florida | 15% | Very poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 27 | Hamilton County, Florida | 15% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 28 | Putnam County Area, Florida | 14% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 29 | Orange County, Florida | 14% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 30 | Hernando County, Florida | 14% | Excessively drained | Entisols |
| 31 | Seminole County, Florida | 12% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 32 | Clay County, Florida | 12% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 33 | Sumter County, Florida | 12% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 34 | Lake County Area, Florida | 10% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 35 | Bay County, Florida | 10% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 36 | Volusia County, Florida | 10% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 37 | Hillsborough County, Florida | 10% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 38 | Liberty County, Florida | 9% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 39 | Pinellas County, Florida | 8% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 40 | Broward County, Florida, East Part | 8% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 41 | Taylor County, Florida | 7% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 42 | Ocala National Forest Area, Florida | 6% | Excessively drained | Entisols |
| 43 | Dixie County, Florida | 6% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 44 | Highlands County, Florida | 5% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 45 | Manatee County, Florida | 4% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 46 | Gulf County, Florida | 3% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 47 | St. Johns County, Florida | 3% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 48 | Union County, Florida | 3% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 49 | Brevard County, Florida | 3% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 50 | Franklin County, Florida | 3% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 51 | Martin County, Florida | 3% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 52 | Flagler County, Florida | 2% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 53 | Osceola County, Florida | 2% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 54 | Nassau County, Florida | 2% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 55 | Bradford County, Florida | 2% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 56 | Hardee County, Florida | 2% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 57 | Palm Beach County Area, Florida | 1% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 58 | Duval County, Florida | 1% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 59 | Big Cypress Reservation, Broward County, Florida | 1% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 60 | Baker County, Florida | 1% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 61 | Okeechobee County, Florida | 1% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 62 | Glades County, Florida | 1% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 63 | De Soto County, Florida | 1% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 64 | Lee County, Florida | 1% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 65 | Charlotte County, Florida | 1% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 66 | St. Lucie County, Florida | 0% | Poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 67 | Sarasota County, Florida | 0% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 68 | Indian River County, Florida | 0% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 69 | Hendry County, Florida | 0% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 70 | Water Conservation Area, Florida | 0% | Very poorly drained | Histosols |
| 71 | Miccosukee Indian Alligator Alley Reservation, Broward County, Florida | 0% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 72 | Collier County Area, Florida | 0% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 73 | Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida | 0% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 74 | Everglades National Park, Florida | 0% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |