Best Soil for Gardening in Tennessee
Tennessee has 94 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, Morgan County Area, Tennessee has 99% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Lake County, Tennessee comes in at 24%, 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 | Morgan County Area, Tennessee | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 2 | Scott County Area, Tennessee | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 3 | Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Kentucky and Tennessee | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 4 | Roane County, Tennessee | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 5 | Knox County, Tennessee | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 6 | Anderson County, Tennessee | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 7 | Wilson County, Tennessee | 96% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 8 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina | 96% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 9 | Loudon County, Tennessee | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 10 | Sullivan County, Tennessee | 95% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 11 | Trousdale County, Tennessee | 95% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 12 | Montgomery County, Tennessee | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 13 | Polk County, Tennessee | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 14 | Warren County, Tennessee | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 15 | Monroe County, Tennessee | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 16 | Washington County, Tennessee | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 17 | Smith County, Tennessee | 91% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 18 | Overton County, Tennessee | 91% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 19 | Rutherford County, Tennessee | 91% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 20 | Robertson County, Tennessee | 91% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 21 | Grundy County, Tennessee | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 22 | Campbell County, Tennessee | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 23 | Meigs County, Tennessee | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 24 | Claiborne County, Tennessee | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 25 | McMinn County, Tennessee | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 26 | Sequatchie County, Tennessee | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 27 | Bedford County, Tennessee | 87% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 28 | Marshall County, Tennessee | 87% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 29 | Clay County, Tennessee | 87% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 30 | Benton County, Tennessee | 86% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 31 | Dickson County, Tennessee | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 32 | Bradley County, Tennessee | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 33 | Carter County, Tennessee | 85% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 34 | Hamblen County, Tennessee | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 35 | Grainger County, Tennessee | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 36 | Henry County, Tennessee | 84% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 37 | Maury County, Tennessee | 83% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 38 | Jefferson County, Tennessee | 83% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 39 | Sumner County, Tennessee | 82% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 40 | Franklin County, Tennessee | 82% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 41 | Cumberland County, Tennessee | 81% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 42 | Bledsoe County, Tennessee | 81% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 43 | Fentress and Pickett Counties Area, Tennessee | 81% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 44 | Cannon County, Tennessee | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 45 | Williamson County, Tennessee | 80% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 46 | McNairy County, Tennessee | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 47 | Rhea County, Tennessee | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 48 | Lincoln County, Tennessee | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 49 | Chester County, Tennessee | 79% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 50 | Madison County, Tennessee | 79% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 51 | Hamilton County, Tennessee | 79% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 52 | Davidson County, Tennessee | 78% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 53 | Crockett County, Tennessee | 78% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 54 | Tipton County, Tennessee | 78% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 55 | Cocke County Area, Tennessee | 78% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 56 | Unicoi County, Tennessee | 78% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 57 | Putnam County and Parts of White County, Tennessee | 77% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 58 | Johnson County, Tennessee | 77% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 59 | Hardeman County, Tennessee | 77% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 60 | White County Area and Van Buren County, Tennessee | 77% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 61 | Coffee County, Tennessee | 76% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 62 | Haywood County, Tennessee | 75% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 63 | Union County, Tennessee | 74% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 64 | Henderson County, Tennessee | 73% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 65 | Greene County, Tennessee | 73% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 66 | Giles County, Tennessee | 73% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 67 | Carroll County, Tennessee | 73% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 68 | Gibson County, Tennessee | 72% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 69 | Hardin County, Tennessee | 71% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 70 | Weakley County, Tennessee | 71% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 71 | Blount County Area, Tennessee | 71% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 72 | DeKalb County, Tennessee | 71% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 73 | Hawkins and Hancock Counties, Tennessee | 71% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 74 | Marion County, Tennessee | 71% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 75 | Decatur County, Tennessee | 70% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 76 | Fayette County, Tennessee | 67% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 77 | Houston County, Tennessee | 67% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 78 | Sevier County Area, Tennessee | 67% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 79 | Moore County, Tennessee | 64% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 80 | Shelby County, Tennessee | 62% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 81 | Macon County, Tennessee | 62% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 82 | Obion County, Tennessee | 60% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 83 | Stewart County, Tennessee | 60% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 84 | Lauderdale County, Tennessee | 59% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 85 | Jackson County, Tennessee | 59% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 86 | Lawrence County, Tennessee | 55% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 87 | Cheatham County, Tennessee | 50% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 88 | Wayne County, Tennessee | 48% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 89 | Hickman County, Tennessee | 45% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 90 | Humphreys County, Tennessee | 40% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 91 | Dyer County, Tennessee | 36% | Poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 92 | Lewis County, Tennessee | 32% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 93 | Perry County, Tennessee | 29% | Somewhat excessively drained | Ultisols |
| 94 | Lake County, Tennessee | 24% | Somewhat poorly drained | Mollisols |