Best Soil for Gardening in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio has 88 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, Monroe County, Ohio has 99% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Van Wert County, Ohio comes in at 3%, 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 AreaWell-Drained SoilsDominant DrainageDominant Soil Order
1 Monroe County, Ohio 99% Well drained Alfisols
2 Jefferson County, Ohio 99% Well drained Alfisols
3 Adams County, Ohio 98% Well drained Alfisols
4 Washington County, Ohio 98% Well drained Alfisols
5 Morgan County, Ohio 98% Well drained Alfisols
6 Hamilton County, Ohio 97% Well drained Alfisols
7 Noble County, Ohio 97% Well drained Alfisols
8 Lawrence County, Ohio 97% Well drained Entisols
9 Scioto County, Ohio 97% Well drained Alfisols
10 Vinton County, Ohio 96% Well drained Alfisols
11 Pike County, Ohio 95% Well drained Alfisols
12 Belmont County, Ohio 95% Well drained Alfisols
13 Meigs County, Ohio 95% Well drained Alfisols
14 Gallia County, Ohio 94% Well drained Alfisols
15 Harrison County, Ohio 93% Well drained Alfisols
16 Muskingum County, Ohio 93% Well drained Alfisols
17 Coshocton County, Ohio 92% Well drained Alfisols
18 Guernsey County, Ohio 92% Well drained Alfisols
19 Carroll County, Ohio 91% Well drained Alfisols
20 Jackson County, Ohio 91% Well drained Ultisols
21 Athens County, Ohio 90% Well drained Alfisols
22 Perry County, Ohio 89% Well drained Alfisols
23 Butler County, Ohio 88% Well drained Alfisols
24 Holmes County, Ohio 88% Well drained Alfisols
25 Columbiana County, Ohio 87% Well drained Alfisols
26 Ross County, Ohio 85% Well drained Alfisols
27 Tuscarawas County, Ohio 84% Well drained Alfisols
28 Hocking County, Ohio 84% Well drained Alfisols
29 Knox County, Ohio 76% Well drained Alfisols
30 Warren County, Ohio 72% Well drained Alfisols
31 Montgomery County, Ohio 72% Well drained Alfisols
32 Stark County, Ohio 70% Well drained Alfisols
33 Highland County, Ohio 70% Well drained Alfisols
34 Summit County, Ohio 70% Moderately well drained Alfisols
35 Fairfield County, Ohio 69% Well drained Alfisols
36 Ashland County, Ohio 69% Well drained Alfisols
37 Wayne County, Ohio 67% Moderately well drained Alfisols
38 Licking County, Ohio 67% Well drained Alfisols
39 Clermont County, Ohio 64% Well drained Alfisols
40 Preble County, Ohio 63% Well drained Alfisols
41 Richland County, Ohio 63% Well drained Alfisols
42 Brown County, Ohio 62% Well drained Alfisols
43 Greene County, Ohio 62% Well drained Alfisols
44 Clark County, Ohio 61% Well drained Alfisols
45 Pickaway County, Ohio 58% Well drained Alfisols
46 Morrow County, Ohio 54% Moderately well drained Alfisols
47 Champaign County, Ohio 53% Moderately well drained Alfisols
48 Mahoning County, Ohio 51% Moderately well drained Alfisols
49 Medina County, Ohio 45% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
50 Clinton County, Ohio 44% Moderately well drained Alfisols
51 Portage County, Ohio 42% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
52 Miami County, Ohio 41% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
53 Geauga County, Ohio 40% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
54 Fayette County, Ohio 39% Poorly drained Alfisols
55 Logan County, Ohio 39% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
56 Delaware County, Ohio 37% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
57 Huron County, Ohio 36% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
58 Cuyahoga County, Ohio 35% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
59 Franklin County, Ohio 31% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
60 Erie County, Ohio 29% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
61 Lake County, Ohio 28% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
62 Darke County, Ohio 27% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
63 Trumbull County, Ohio 24% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
64 Shelby County, Ohio 23% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
65 Wyandot County, Ohio 22% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
66 Williams County, Ohio 20% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
67 Allen County, Ohio 20% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
68 Crawford County, Ohio 20% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
69 Marion County, Ohio 19% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
70 Hancock County, Ohio 18% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
71 Auglaize County, Ohio 18% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
72 Fulton County, Ohio 16% Very poorly drained Alfisols
73 Madison County, Ohio 16% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
74 Union County, Ohio 16% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
75 Sandusky County, Ohio 15% Very poorly drained Alfisols
76 Seneca County, Ohio 15% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
77 Mercer County, Ohio 13% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
78 Lucas County, Ohio 13% Very poorly drained Alfisols
79 Lorain County, Ohio 13% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
80 Hardin County, Ohio 12% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
81 Defiance County, Ohio 10% Very poorly drained Alfisols
82 Ashtabula County, Ohio 8% Somewhat poorly drained Alfisols
83 Ottawa County, Ohio 8% Very poorly drained Alfisols
84 Wood County, Ohio 8% Very poorly drained Alfisols
85 Henry County, Ohio 5% Very poorly drained Alfisols
86 Putnam County, Ohio 5% Very poorly drained Alfisols
87 Paulding County, Ohio 4% Very poorly drained Alfisols
88 Van Wert County, Ohio 3% Very poorly drained Alfisols

See also: national gardening soil rankings | Ohio drainage rankings | all Ohio survey areas