Best Soil for Gardening in Louisiana
Louisiana has 64 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, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana has 92% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana 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 | Lincoln Parish, Louisiana | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 2 | East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana | 86% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 3 | Jackson Parish, Louisiana | 86% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 4 | St. Helena Parish, Louisiana | 86% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 5 | Claiborne Parish, Louisiana | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 6 | Washington Parish, Louisiana | 84% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 7 | Sabine Parish, Louisiana | 78% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 8 | Union Parish, Louisiana | 77% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 9 | De Soto Parish, Louisiana | 75% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 10 | West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana | 75% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 11 | Grant Parish, Louisiana | 70% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 12 | Bienville Parish, Louisiana | 64% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 13 | LaSalle Parish, Louisiana | 64% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 14 | Vernon Parish, Louisiana | 62% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 15 | Webster Parish, Louisiana | 60% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 16 | Red River Parish, Louisiana | 60% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 17 | Rapides Parish, Louisiana | 58% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 18 | Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana | 58% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 19 | Caddo Parish, Louisiana | 57% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 20 | Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana | 57% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 21 | Winn Parish, Louisiana | 56% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 22 | West Carroll Parish, Louisiana | 53% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 23 | Beauregard Parish, Louisiana | 50% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 24 | Caldwell Parish, Louisiana | 46% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 25 | Ouachita Parish, Louisiana | 45% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 26 | Bossier Parish, Louisiana | 44% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 27 | Richland Parish, Louisiana | 34% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 28 | St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana | 32% | Somewhat poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 29 | Franklin Parish, Louisiana | 31% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 30 | Allen Parish, Louisiana | 31% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 31 | Morehouse Parish, Louisiana | 30% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 32 | Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana | 25% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 33 | Evangeline Parish, Louisiana | 22% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 34 | Catahoula Parish, Louisiana | 22% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 35 | East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana | 19% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 36 | Lafayette Parish, Louisiana | 18% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 37 | St. Landry Parish, Louisiana | 15% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 38 | Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana | 13% | Somewhat poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 39 | Livingston Parish, Louisiana | 10% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 40 | West Baton Rouge Parish, Lousiana | 9% | Poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 41 | Acadia Parish, Louisiana | 6% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 42 | Madison Parish, Louisiana | 4% | Poorly drained | Vertisols |
| 43 | Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana | 4% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 44 | Tensas Parish, Louisiana | 3% | Somewhat poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 45 | East Carroll Parish, Louisiana | 3% | Poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 46 | St. Martin Parish, Louisiana | 2% | Very poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 47 | Concordia Parish, Louisiana | 2% | Poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 48 | Iberia Parish, Louisiana | 2% | Very poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 49 | Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana | 1% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 50 | Ascension Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 51 | Vermilion Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 52 | St. Mary Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 53 | Assumption Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 54 | Cameron Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 55 | Iberville Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 56 | Jefferson Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 57 | Lafourche Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 58 | Orleans Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 59 | Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 60 | St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 61 | St. Charles Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 62 | St. James Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 63 | St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Inceptisols |
| 64 | Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana | 0% | Very poorly drained | Histosols |