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 Area | Well-Drained Soils | Dominant Drainage | Dominant 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 |