Best Soil for Gardening in Virginia
Virginia has 108 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, Henry County, Virginia has 99% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Chesapeake City, Virginia comes in at 7%, 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 | Henry County, Virginia | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 2 | Arlington County, Virginia | 99% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 3 | Giles County, Virginia | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 4 | Russell County, Virginia | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 5 | Falls Church City, Virginia | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 6 | Staunton City, Virginia | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 7 | Bedford City, Virginia | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 8 | Wythe County, Virginia | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 9 | Patrick County, Virginia | 96% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 10 | Washington County Area and the City of Bristol, Virginia | 96% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 11 | Charlottesville City, Virginia | 96% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 12 | Buchanan County, Virginia | 96% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 13 | Bedford County, Virginia | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 14 | Montgomery County, Virginia | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 15 | Franklin County, Virginia | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 16 | Scott County, Virginia | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 17 | Alexandria City, Virginia | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 18 | Lunenburg County, Virginia | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 19 | Clarke County, Virginia | 94% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 20 | Dickenson County, Virginia | 94% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 21 | Wise County, Virginia | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 22 | Smyth County, Virginia | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 23 | Craig County, Virginia | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 24 | Cumberland County, Virginia | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 25 | Fairfax City, Virginia | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 26 | Pittsylvania County and the City of Danville, Virginia | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 27 | Winchester City, Virginia | 91% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 28 | Dinwiddie County Area, Virginia | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 29 | Appomattox County, Virginia | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 30 | Waynesboro City, Virginia | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 31 | Brunswick County, Virginia | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 32 | Buckingham County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 33 | Lee County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 34 | Caroline County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 35 | Tazewell County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 36 | Bland County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 37 | Rockbridge County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 38 | Powhatan County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 39 | Charlotte County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 40 | Amelia County, Virginia | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 41 | King and Queen County, Virginia | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 42 | Halifax County and the City of South Boston, Virginia | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 43 | Goochland County, Virginia | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 44 | Campbell County and the City of Lynchburg, Virginia | 86% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 45 | Pulaski County, Virginia | 86% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 46 | Louisa County, Virginia | 86% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 47 | Middlesex County, Virginia | 86% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 48 | Botetourt County, Virginia | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 49 | Prince Edward County, Virginia | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 50 | Fairfax County, Virginia | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 51 | Nottoway County, Virginia | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 52 | Amherst County, Virginia | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 53 | Orange County, Virginia | 84% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 54 | Warren County, Virginia | 84% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 55 | City of Richmond, Virginia | 84% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 56 | Bath County, Virginia | 84% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 57 | Page County, Virginia | 83% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 58 | Prince William County, Virginia | 83% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 59 | Richmond County, Virginia | 83% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 60 | Augusta County, Virginia | 82% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 61 | Essex County, Virginia | 82% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 62 | Carroll County, Virginia | 82% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 63 | Highland County, Virginia | 82% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 64 | Mecklenburg County, Virginia | 81% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 65 | Prince George County, Virginia | 81% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 66 | Hanover County, Virginia | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 67 | Jefferson National Forest, Virginia | 80% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 68 | James City and York Counties and the City of Williamsburg, Virginia | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 69 | Westmoreland County, Virginia | 80% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 70 | New Kent County, Virginia | 79% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 71 | Rockingham County, Virginia | 79% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 72 | Frederick County, Virginia | 78% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 73 | Fauquier County, Virginia | 78% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 74 | Loudoun County, Virginia | 77% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 75 | Chesterfield County, Virginia | 77% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 76 | Roanoke County and the Cities of Roanoke and Salem, Virginia | 76% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 77 | Spotsylvania County, Virginia | 76% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 78 | Madison County, Virginia | 75% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 79 | Grayson County, Virginia | 75% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 80 | Alleghany County, Virginia | 75% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 81 | Nelson County, Virginia | 74% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 82 | Albemarle County, Virginia | 74% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 83 | King William County, Virginia | 74% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 84 | Stafford and King George Counties, Virginia | 73% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 85 | Surry County, Virginia | 73% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 86 | Culpeper County, Virginia | 73% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 87 | Shenandoah County, Virginia | 72% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 88 | Fluvanna County, Virginia | 72% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 89 | Greene County, Virginia | 70% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 90 | Floyd County, Virginia | 68% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 91 | Gloucester County, Virginia | 67% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 92 | Henrico County, Virginia | 66% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 93 | Southampton County, Virginia | 66% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 94 | Charles City County, Virginia | 65% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 95 | Greensville County, Virginia | 65% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 96 | Sussex County, Virginia | 60% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 97 | Isle of Wight County, Virginia | 57% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 98 | Northampton County, Virginia | 55% | Well drained | Entisols |
| 99 | Northumberland and Lancaster Counties, Virginia | 55% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 100 | Rappahannock County, Virginia | 50% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 101 | City of Suffolk, Virginia | 46% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 102 | Blue Ridge Parkway - Bedford County, Virginia Peaks of Otter Area | 43% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 103 | Fredericksburg City, Virginia | 43% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 104 | Tidewater Cities Area, Virginia | 37% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 105 | Accomack County, Virginia | 35% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 106 | Mathews County, Virginia | 20% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 107 | City of Virginia Beach, Virginia | 19% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 108 | Chesapeake City, Virginia | 7% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |