Best Soil for Gardening in Illinois
Illinois has 102 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, Hardin County, Illinois has 89% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Ford County, Illinois comes in at 4%, 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 | Hardin County, Illinois | 89% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 2 | Pope County, Illinois | 89% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 3 | Jo Daviess County, Illinois | 86% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 4 | Johnson County, Illinois | 83% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 5 | Carroll County, Illinois | 81% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 6 | Stephenson County, Illinois | 80% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 7 | Union County, Illinois | 77% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 8 | Ogle County, Illinois | 72% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 9 | Calhoun County, Illinois | 72% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 10 | Knox County, Illinois | 67% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 11 | Jersey County, Illinois | 67% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 12 | Williamson County, Illinois | 67% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 13 | Fulton County, Illinois | 66% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 14 | Winnebago County, Illinois | 66% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 15 | Peoria County, Illinois | 66% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 16 | Brown County, Illinois | 65% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 17 | Rock Island County, Illinois | 65% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 18 | Pike County, Illinois | 64% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 19 | DuPage County, Illinois | 64% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 20 | Jackson County, Illinois | 62% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 21 | Stark County, Illinois | 60% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 22 | Bureau County, Illinois | 60% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 23 | Cook County, Illinois | 60% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 24 | Massac County, Illinois | 58% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 25 | Putnam County, Illinois | 58% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 26 | Mercer County, Illinois | 58% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 27 | Schuyler County, Illinois | 57% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 28 | Menard County, Illinois | 57% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 29 | Whiteside County, Illinois | 56% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 30 | Henry County, Illinois | 55% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 31 | McHenry County, Illinois | 54% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 32 | Boone County, Illinois | 54% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 33 | Warren County, Illinois | 54% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 34 | Marshall County, Illinois | 54% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 35 | Scott County, Illinois | 53% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 36 | Kane County, Illinois | 53% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 37 | Tazewell County, Illinois | 52% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 38 | Lake County, Illinois | 51% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 39 | Saline County, Illinois | 50% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 40 | Monroe County, Illinois | 50% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 41 | Morgan County, Illinois | 50% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 42 | Henderson County, Illinois | 49% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 43 | Greene County, Illinois | 49% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 44 | Randolph County, Illinois | 49% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 45 | Pulaski County, Illinois | 48% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 46 | Alexander County, Illinois | 48% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 47 | White County, Illinois | 47% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 48 | Lee County, Illinois | 47% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 49 | DeKalb County, Illinois | 46% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 50 | Kendall County, Illinois | 46% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 51 | Adams County, Illinois | 45% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 52 | Cass County, Illinois | 44% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 53 | De Witt County, Illinois | 43% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 54 | Gallatin County, Illinois | 43% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 55 | Jefferson County, Illinois | 42% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 56 | McLean County, Illinois | 40% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 57 | Madison County, Illinois | 39% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 58 | Crawford County, Illinois | 38% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 59 | Logan County, Illinois | 37% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 60 | Wabash County, Illinois | 37% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 61 | Sangamon County, Illinois | 37% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 62 | Woodford County, Illinois | 36% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 63 | Lawrence County, Illinois | 36% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 64 | St. Clair County, Illinois | 36% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 65 | Edgar County, Illinois | 36% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 66 | Perry County, Illinois | 36% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 67 | Franklin County, Illinois | 34% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 68 | Hamilton County, Illinois | 34% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 69 | Coles County, Illinois | 34% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 70 | McDonough County, Illinois | 34% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 71 | Hancock County, Illinois | 31% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 72 | Shelby County, Illinois | 30% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 73 | Macoupin County, Illinois | 30% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 74 | Will County, Illinois | 30% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 75 | Edwards County, Illinois | 30% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 76 | Clark County, Illinois | 29% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 77 | Mason County, Illinois | 28% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 78 | La Salle County, Illinois | 28% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 79 | Cumberland County, Illinois | 25% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 80 | Fayette County, Illinois | 25% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 81 | Moultrie County, Illinois | 25% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 82 | Macon County, Illinois | 24% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 83 | Effingham County, Illinois | 23% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 84 | Christian County, Illinois | 23% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 85 | Washington County, Illinois | 22% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 86 | Bond County, Illinois | 21% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 87 | Kankakee County, Illinois | 20% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 88 | Montgomery County, Illinois | 19% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 89 | Marion County, Illinois | 18% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 90 | Champaign County, Illinois | 18% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 91 | Jasper County, Illinois | 17% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 92 | Wayne County, Illinois | 17% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 93 | Vermilion County, Illinois | 16% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 94 | Piatt County, Illinois | 14% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 95 | Clay County, Illinois | 14% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 96 | Richland County, Illinois | 14% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 97 | Grundy County, Illinois | 12% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 98 | Livingston County, Illinois | 9% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 99 | Clinton County, Illinois | 9% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 100 | Douglas County, Illinois | 8% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 101 | Iroquois County, Illinois | 6% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 102 | Ford County, Illinois | 4% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |