Best Soil for Gardening in Kentucky
Kentucky has 84 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, Breathitt County, Kentucky has 100% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Fulton County, Kentucky comes in at 51%, 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 | Breathitt County, Kentucky | 100% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 2 | Mason County, Kentucky | 100% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 3 | Jackson and Owsley Counties, Kentucky | 100% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 4 | Leslie and Perry Counties, Kentucky | 100% | Well drained | Entisols |
| 5 | Pike County, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 6 | Bracken and Robertson Counties, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 7 | Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 8 | Shelby County, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 9 | Floyd and Johnson Counties, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 10 | Harrison County, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 11 | Bell and Harlan Counties, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 12 | Clay County, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 13 | Grant and Pendleton Counties, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 14 | Scott County, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 15 | Elliott County, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 16 | Magoffin and Morgan Counties, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 17 | Bourbon and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 18 | Henry and Trimble Counties, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 19 | Knott and Letcher Counties, Kentucky | 99% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 20 | Hart County Area, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 21 | Anderson and Franklin Counties, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 22 | Washington County, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 23 | Boyle and Mercer Counties, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 24 | Allen County, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 25 | Jessamine and Woodford Counties, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 26 | Wayne County, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 27 | Oldham County, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 28 | Lyon and Trigg Counties, Kentucky | 98% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 29 | Breckinridge and Meade Counties, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 30 | Carroll, Gallatin, and Owen Counties, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 31 | Menifee and Rowan Counties, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 32 | McCreary-Whitley Area, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 33 | Boone, Campbell, and Kenton Counties, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 34 | Monroe County, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 35 | Clinton County, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 36 | Russell County, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 37 | Fleming County, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 38 | Carter County, Kentucky | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 39 | Lewis County, Kentucky | 96% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 40 | Clark County, Kentucky | 96% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 41 | Montgomery County, Kentucky | 96% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 42 | Fayette County Area, Part of Fayette County, Kentucky | 95% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 43 | Garrard and Lincoln Counties, Kentucky | 95% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 44 | Boyd and Greenup Counties, Kentucky | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 45 | Lawrence and Martin Counties, Kentucky | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 46 | Pulaski County, Kentucky | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 47 | Green and Taylor Counties, Kentucky | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 48 | Hardin and Larue Counties, Kentucky | 94% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 49 | Logan County, Kentucky | 94% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 50 | Simpson County, Kentucky | 94% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 51 | Marion County, Kentucky | 93% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 52 | Todd County, Kentucky | 93% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 53 | Casey County, Kentucky | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 54 | Crittenden County, Kentucky | 92% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 55 | Livingston County, Kentucky | 92% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 56 | Adair County, Kentucky | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 57 | Graves County, Kentucky | 92% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 58 | Jefferson County, Kentucky | 92% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 59 | Christian County, Kentucky | 92% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 60 | Knox and Eastern Part of Whitley Counties, Kentucky | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 61 | Caldwell County, Kentucky | 92% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 62 | Barren County Area, Kentucky | 92% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 63 | Metcalfe County, Kentucky | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 64 | Estill and Lee Counties, Kentucky | 91% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 65 | Cumberland County, Kentucky | 91% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 66 | Bath County, Kentucky | 90% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 67 | Laurel and Rockcastle Counties, Kentucky | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 68 | Madison County, Kentucky | 90% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 69 | Bullitt and Spencer Counties, Kentucky | 90% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 70 | Warren County, Kentucky | 89% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 71 | Powell and Wolfe Counties, Kentucky | 87% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 72 | Butler and Edmonson Counties Area, Kentucky | 86% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 73 | Nelson County, Kentucky | 85% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 74 | Ohio County, Kentucky | 79% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 75 | Calloway and Marshall Counties, Kentucky | 79% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 76 | Grayson County, Kentucky | 76% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 77 | Union and Webster Counties, Kentucky | 74% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 78 | Carlisle and Hickman Counties, Kentucky | 68% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 79 | McLean and Muhlenberg Counties, Kentucky | 68% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 80 | Hopkins County, Kentucky | 67% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 81 | Daviess and Hancock Counties, Kentucky | 66% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 82 | Henderson County, Kentucky | 61% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 83 | Ballard and McCracken Counties, Kentucky | 60% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 84 | Fulton County, Kentucky | 51% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |