Best Soil for Gardening in Oklahoma

Oklahoma has 77 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, Murray County, Oklahoma has 99% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Ottawa County, Oklahoma comes in at 22%, 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 Murray County, Oklahoma 99% Well drained Mollisols
2 Stephens County, Oklahoma 99% Well drained Mollisols
3 Comanche County, Oklahoma 99% Well drained Mollisols
4 Noble County, Oklahoma 98% Well drained Mollisols
5 Carter County, Oklahoma 98% Well drained Alfisols
6 Marshall County, Oklahoma 98% Well drained Alfisols
7 Kiowa County, Oklahoma 98% Well drained Mollisols
8 Garvin County, Oklahoma 97% Well drained Mollisols
9 Latimer County, Oklahoma 97% Well drained Alfisols
10 Grady County, Oklahoma 97% Well drained Mollisols
11 Caddo County, Oklahoma 96% Well drained Mollisols
12 Le Flore County, Oklahoma 96% Well drained Alfisols
13 Harmon County, Oklahoma 96% Well drained Inceptisols
14 Texas County, Oklahoma 95% Well drained Mollisols
15 Haskell County, Oklahoma 95% Well drained Alfisols
16 Johnston County, Oklahoma 95% Well drained Alfisols
17 Canadian County, Oklahoma 95% Well drained Mollisols
18 Garfield County, Oklahoma 95% Well drained Mollisols
19 Jefferson County, Oklahoma 95% Well drained Mollisols
20 Payne County, Oklahoma 94% Well drained Mollisols
21 Kay County, Oklahoma 94% Well drained Mollisols
22 McClain County, Oklahoma 94% Well drained Mollisols
23 Cotton County, Oklahoma 94% Well drained Mollisols
24 Oklahoma County, Oklahoma 94% Well drained Mollisols
25 Pushmataha County, Oklahoma 94% Well drained Alfisols
26 Custer County, Oklahoma 93% Well drained Mollisols
27 Cleveland County, Oklahoma 92% Well drained Mollisols
28 Greer County, Oklahoma 92% Well drained Mollisols
29 Cimarron County, Oklahoma 92% Well drained Mollisols
30 Logan County, Oklahoma 92% Well drained Mollisols
31 Pontotoc County, Oklahoma 92% Well drained Mollisols
32 Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma 92% Well drained Mollisols
33 Kingfisher County, Oklahoma 92% Well drained Mollisols
34 Grant County, Oklahoma 91% Well drained Mollisols
35 Washita County, Oklahoma 90% Well drained Inceptisols
36 Tillman County, Oklahoma 89% Well drained Mollisols
37 Dewey County, Oklahoma 88% Well drained Inceptisols
38 Blaine County, Oklahoma 88% Well drained Mollisols
39 Roger Mills County, Oklahoma 87% Well drained Inceptisols
40 Bryan County, Oklahoma 86% Well drained Alfisols
41 Pawnee County, Oklahoma 85% Well drained Mollisols
42 Beckham County, Oklahoma 85% Well drained Inceptisols
43 Atoka County, Oklahoma 84% Well drained Alfisols
44 Jackson County, Oklahoma 84% Well drained Mollisols
45 Love County, Oklahoma 84% Well drained Mollisols
46 Harper County, Oklahoma 82% Well drained Mollisols
47 Sequoyah County, Oklahoma 82% Well drained Alfisols
48 McCurtain County, Oklahoma 81% Well drained Ultisols
49 Pittsburg County, Oklahoma 79% Well drained Mollisols
50 Seminole County, Oklahoma 79% Well drained Mollisols
51 Choctaw County, Oklahoma 79% Well drained Alfisols
52 Ellis County, Oklahoma 77% Well drained Mollisols
53 Alfalfa County, Oklahoma 77% Well drained Mollisols
54 Major County, Oklahoma 75% Well drained Mollisols
55 Beaver County, Oklahoma 74% Well drained Mollisols
56 Osage County, Oklahoma 74% Well drained Mollisols
57 Woods County, Oklahoma 72% Well drained Mollisols
58 Hughes County, Oklahoma 70% Well drained Mollisols
59 Lincoln County, Oklahoma 67% Well drained Mollisols
60 Coal County, Oklahoma 65% Moderately well drained Alfisols
61 McIntosh County, Oklahoma 65% Well drained Mollisols
62 Okfuskee County, Oklahoma 64% Well drained Alfisols
63 Woodward County, Oklahoma 59% Well drained Mollisols
64 Nowata County, Oklahoma 57% Somewhat poorly drained Mollisols
65 Washington County, Oklahoma 57% Well drained Mollisols
66 Rogers County, Oklahoma 54% Well drained Mollisols
67 Muskogee County, Oklahoma 54% Well drained Mollisols
68 Adair County, Oklahoma 53% Somewhat excessively drained Ultisols
69 Cherokee County, Oklahoma 52% Well drained Mollisols
70 Okmulgee County, Oklahoma 50% Well drained Mollisols
71 Creek County, Oklahoma 49% Well drained Mollisols
72 Wagoner County, Oklahoma 45% Somewhat poorly drained Mollisols
73 Tulsa County, Oklahoma 41% Somewhat poorly drained Mollisols
74 Delaware County, Oklahoma 39% Somewhat excessively drained Mollisols
75 Craig County, Oklahoma 39% Somewhat poorly drained Mollisols
76 Mayes County, Oklahoma 38% Somewhat poorly drained Mollisols
77 Ottawa County, Oklahoma 22% Somewhat poorly drained Mollisols