Best Soil for Gardening in Washington

Washington

Washington has 56 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, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington has 100% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Joint Base Lewis-McChord Area, Washington, Parts of Pierce and Thurston Counties comes in at 19%, 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 Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington 100% Well drained Inceptisols
2 Umatilla National Forest, Washington 99% Well drained Mollisols
3 Garfield County Area, Washington 99% Well drained Mollisols
4 Columbia County Area, Washington 99% Well drained Mollisols
5 Asotin County Area, Washington (Asotin and Garfield Counties) 99% Well drained Mollisols
6 Bangor Naval Station, Washington 99% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
7 City of Seattle, Washington 98% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
8 North Cascades National Park Complex, Washington 98% Well drained Inceptisols
9 Adams County, Washington 97% Well drained Aridisols
10 City of Tacoma, Washington 97% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
11 Olympic National Park, Washington 97% Well drained Inceptisols
12 Yakima Training Center, Parts of Kittitas and Yakima Counties, Washington 97% Well drained Mollisols
13 Chelan County Area, Washington (Parts of Chelan and Kittitas Counties) 96% Well drained Mollisols
14 Klickitat County Area, Washington 96% Well drained Mollisols
15 Yakama Nation Closed Area, Washington, Parts of Klickitat and Yakima Counties 96% Well drained Andisols
16 Lincoln County, Washington 95% Well drained Mollisols
17 Cashmere Mountain Area, Washington, Parts of Chelan and Okanogan Counties 95% Well drained Andisols
18 Whitman County, Washington 94% Well drained Mollisols
19 Wenatchee National Forest, Naches Area, Washington, Parts of Kittitas and Yakima Counties 93% Well drained Andisols
20 Skamania County Area, Washington 93% Well drained Andisols
21 North Ferry Area, Washington 93% Well drained Andisols
22 Pend Oreille County Area, Washington 92% Well drained Inceptisols
23 Yakima County Area, Washington 92% Well drained Mollisols
24 Kittitas County Area, Washington 91% Well drained Mollisols
25 Olympic National Forest Area, Washington (Parts of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, and Mason Counties) 91% Well drained Andisols
26 Douglas County, Washington 90% Well drained Mollisols
27 Colville Indian Reservation (Parts of Ferry and Okanogan Counties), Washington 90% Well drained Mollisols
28 Cowlitz County, Washington 90% Well drained Andisols
29 Walla Walla County Area, Washington 90% Well drained Mollisols
30 Okanogan County Area, Washington 89% Well drained Mollisols
31 Stevens County, Washington 89% Well drained Inceptisols
32 Spokane County, Washington 88% Well drained Mollisols
33 Grays Harbor County Area, Pacific and Wahkiakum Counties, Washington 87% Well drained Andisols
34 Clark County, Washington 86% Well drained Andisols
35 Snoqualmie Pass Area, Washington (Parts of King and Pierce Counties) 85% Well drained Spodosols
36 Lewis County Area, Washington 85% Well drained Andisols
37 Okanogan National Forest Area, Washington 84% Well drained Inceptisols
38 Kitsap County Area, Washington 82% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
39 Clallam County Area, Washington 81% Well drained Andisols
40 Benton County Area, Washington 80% Well drained Aridisols
41 Mount Rainier National Park, Washington 79% Well drained Andisols
42 Jefferson County Area, Washington 77% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
43 Snohomish County Area, Washington 76% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
44 Whatcom County Area, Washington 73% Well drained Spodosols
45 Franklin County, Washington 72% Well drained Aridisols
46 Skagit County Area, Washington 70% Moderately well drained Andisols
47 King County Area, Washington 68% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
48 San Juan County, Washington 64% Well drained Inceptisols
49 Thurston County Area, Washington 64% Well drained Inceptisols
50 Grant County, Washington 64% Well drained Aridisols
51 Yakima Nation Irrigated Area, Washington, Part of Yakima County 61% Well drained Mollisols
52 Mason County, Washington 58% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
53 Pierce County Area, Washington 56% Moderately well drained Inceptisols
54 Hanford Atomic Energy Reservation, Washington 56% Well drained Aridisols
55 Island County, Washington 36% Somewhat excessively drained Inceptisols
56 Joint Base Lewis-McChord Area, Washington, Parts of Pierce and Thurston Counties 19% Somewhat excessively drained Inceptisols

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