Best Soil for Gardening in Missouri
Missouri has 114 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, Webster County, Missouri has 95% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Audrain County, Missouri comes in at 1%, 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 | Webster County, Missouri | 95% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 2 | Dallas County, Missouri | 94% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 3 | Cedar County, Missouri | 91% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 4 | Dade County, Missouri | 90% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 5 | Franklin County, Missouri | 89% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 6 | Lawrence County, Missouri | 89% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 7 | Howell County, Missouri | 88% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 8 | St. Francois County, Missouri | 88% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 9 | Polk County, Missouri | 87% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 10 | Washington County, Missouri | 86% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 11 | Greene County, Missouri | 86% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 12 | Ozark County, Missouri | 85% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 13 | Texas County, Missouri | 85% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 14 | Gasconade County, Missouri | 84% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 15 | Jefferson County, Missouri | 84% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 16 | Cape Girardeau County, Missouri | 82% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 17 | Perry County, Missouri | 82% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 18 | Bates County, Missouri | 81% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 19 | Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri | 81% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 20 | Christian County, Missouri | 81% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 21 | Douglas County, Missouri | 80% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 22 | St. Clair County, Missouri | 79% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 23 | Newton County, Missouri | 78% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 24 | Laclede County, Missouri | 78% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 25 | Crawford County, Missouri | 78% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 26 | Camden County, Missouri | 78% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 27 | Osage County, Missouri | 77% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 28 | Jasper County, Missouri | 77% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 29 | Cole County, Missouri | 76% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 30 | Maries County, Missouri | 75% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 31 | Oregon County, Missouri | 75% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 32 | Platte County, Missouri | 74% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 33 | Benton County, Missouri | 72% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 34 | Hickory County, Missouri | 72% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 35 | Morgan County, Missouri | 71% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 36 | Miller County, Missouri | 71% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 37 | Howard County, Missouri | 70% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 38 | Taney County, Missouri | 70% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 39 | Bollinger County, Missouri | 69% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 40 | Madison County, Missouri | 69% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 41 | Clay County, Missouri | 68% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 42 | Cooper County, Missouri | 68% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 43 | Pulaski County, Missouri | 68% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 44 | Phelps County, Missouri | 67% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 45 | Vernon County, Missouri | 67% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 46 | Moniteau County, Missouri | 66% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 47 | Mercer County, Missouri | 66% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 48 | Wright County, Missouri | 65% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 49 | Barry County, Missouri | 65% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 50 | Iron County, Missouri | 65% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 51 | Worth County, Missouri | 64% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 52 | Putnam County, Missouri | 64% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 53 | Henry County, Missouri | 64% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 54 | St. Louis County and St. Louis City, Missouri | 64% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 55 | Buchanan County, Missouri | 63% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 56 | Nodaway County, Missouri | 63% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 57 | Atchison County, Missouri | 62% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 58 | Cass County, Missouri | 62% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 59 | Ripley County, Missouri | 62% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 60 | Jackson County, Missouri | 61% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 61 | Wayne County, Missouri | 60% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 62 | Holt County, Missouri | 60% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 63 | Sullivan County, Missouri | 60% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 64 | Reynolds County, Missouri | 57% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 65 | St. Charles County, Missouri | 57% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 66 | Shannon County, Missouri | 57% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 67 | Barton County, Missouri | 56% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 68 | Dent County, Missouri | 54% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 69 | Lincoln County, Missouri | 54% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 70 | McDonald County, Missouri | 53% | Somewhat excessively drained | Alfisols |
| 71 | Warren County, Missouri | 52% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 72 | Carter County, Missouri | 51% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 73 | Ray County, Missouri | 50% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 74 | Stone County, Missouri | 49% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 75 | Boone County, Missouri | 48% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 76 | Johnson County, Missouri | 47% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 77 | Callaway County, Missouri | 47% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 78 | Schuyler County, Missouri | 46% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 79 | Saline County, Missouri | 46% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 80 | Andrew County, Missouri | 46% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 81 | Lafayette County, Missouri | 45% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 82 | Adair County, Missouri | 43% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 83 | Macon County, Missouri | 42% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 84 | Marion County, Missouri | 40% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 85 | Pike County, Missouri | 40% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 86 | Harrison County, Missouri | 39% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 87 | Montgomery County, Missouri | 38% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 88 | Ralls County, Missouri | 38% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 89 | Carroll County, Missouri | 38% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 90 | Scott County, Missouri | 37% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 91 | Gentry County, Missouri | 37% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 92 | Clark County, Missouri | 34% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 93 | Grundy County, Missouri | 33% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 94 | Lewis County, Missouri | 31% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 95 | Pettis County, Missouri | 31% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 96 | Butler County, Missouri | 30% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 97 | Clinton County, Missouri | 29% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 98 | Stoddard County, Missouri | 27% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 99 | Linn County, Missouri | 27% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 100 | Caldwell County, Missouri | 27% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 101 | Scotland County, Missouri | 26% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 102 | Dunklin County, Missouri | 25% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 103 | Daviess County, Missouri | 25% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 104 | Mississippi County, Missouri | 25% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 105 | Randolph County, Missouri | 24% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 106 | De Kalb County, Missouri | 23% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 107 | Knox County, Missouri | 18% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 108 | Chariton County, Missouri | 16% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 109 | Monroe County, Missouri | 12% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 110 | New Madrid County, Missouri | 12% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 111 | Livingston County, Missouri | 11% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 112 | Shelby County, Missouri | 9% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 113 | Pemiscot County, Missouri | 9% | Poorly drained | Entisols |
| 114 | Audrain County, Missouri | 1% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |