Best Soil for Gardening in North Dakota
North Dakota has 53 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, Golden Valley County, North Dakota has 94% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Traill County, North Dakota comes in at 17%, 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 | Golden Valley County, North Dakota | 94% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 2 | Billings County, North Dakota | 94% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 3 | Oliver County, North Dakota | 91% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 4 | McKenzie County, North Dakota | 91% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 5 | Emmons County, North Dakota | 90% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 6 | Stark County, North Dakota | 90% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 7 | Williams County, North Dakota | 89% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 8 | Dunn County, North Dakota | 88% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 9 | Renville County, North Dakota | 88% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 10 | Slope County, North Dakota | 88% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 11 | Hettinger County, North Dakota | 88% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 12 | McLean County, North Dakota | 87% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 13 | Bowman County, North Dakota | 87% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 14 | Ward County, North Dakota | 86% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 15 | Morton County, North Dakota | 85% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 16 | Sioux County, North Dakota | 84% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 17 | Burleigh County, North Dakota | 82% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 18 | Mountrail County, North Dakota | 82% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 19 | Mercer County, North Dakota | 82% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 20 | Grant County, North Dakota | 81% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 21 | LaMoure County, North Dakota | 80% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 22 | Adams County, North Dakota | 79% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 23 | Divide County, North Dakota | 76% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 24 | Wells County, North Dakota | 75% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 25 | McIntosh County, North Dakota | 74% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 26 | Sargent County, North Dakota | 73% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 27 | Sheridan County, North Dakota | 73% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 28 | Burke County, North Dakota | 72% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 29 | Logan County, North Dakota | 72% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 30 | Stutsman County, North Dakota | 71% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 31 | Bottineau County, North Dakota | 69% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 32 | Dickey County, North Dakota | 69% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 33 | Pierce County, North Dakota | 69% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 34 | McHenry County, North Dakota | 65% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 35 | Rolette County, North Dakota | 64% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 36 | Benson County, North Dakota | 61% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 37 | Steele County, North Dakota | 61% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 38 | Ransom County, North Dakota | 60% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 39 | Kidder County, North Dakota | 58% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 40 | Barnes County, North Dakota | 57% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 41 | Eddy County, North Dakota | 57% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 42 | Nelson County, North Dakota | 55% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 43 | Foster County, North Dakota | 54% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 44 | Cavalier County, North Dakota | 53% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 45 | Griggs County, North Dakota | 50% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 46 | Walsh County, North Dakota | 47% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 47 | Ramsey County, North Dakota | 46% | Moderately well drained | Mollisols |
| 48 | Towner County, North Dakota | 39% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 49 | Grand Forks County, North Dakota | 31% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 50 | Richland County, North Dakota | 30% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 51 | Cass County, North Dakota | 27% | Poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 52 | Pembina County, North Dakota | 18% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |
| 53 | Traill County, North Dakota | 17% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |