Best Soil for Gardening in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has 72 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, Vernon County, Wisconsin has 94% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Waushara County, Wisconsin comes in at 14%, 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 | Vernon County, Wisconsin | 94% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 2 | Grant County, Wisconsin | 92% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 3 | Crawford County, Wisconsin | 89% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 4 | Pierce County, Wisconsin | 89% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 5 | Lafayette County, Wisconsin | 88% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 6 | Richland County, Wisconsin | 87% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 7 | Iowa County, Wisconsin | 86% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 8 | Buffalo County, Wisconsin | 79% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 9 | La Crosse County, Wisconsin | 77% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 10 | Green County, Wisconsin | 77% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 11 | Dane County, Wisconsin | 74% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 12 | Rock County, Wisconsin | 74% | Well drained | Mollisols |
| 13 | Sauk County, Wisconsin | 72% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 14 | Door County, Wisconsin | 69% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 15 | Barron County, Wisconsin | 69% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 16 | St. Croix County, Wisconsin | 69% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 17 | Dunn County, Wisconsin | 68% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 18 | Pepin County, Wisconsin | 66% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 19 | Trempealeau County, Wisconsin | 65% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 20 | Walworth County, Wisconsin | 65% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 21 | Bayfield County, Wisconsin | 65% | Moderately well drained | Spodosols |
| 22 | Florence County, Wisconsin | 64% | Well drained | Spodosols |
| 23 | Brown County, Wisconsin | 64% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 24 | Ozaukee County, Wisconsin | 64% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 25 | Forest County, Wisconsin | 62% | Well drained | Spodosols |
| 26 | Ashland County, Wisconsin | 62% | Moderately well drained | Spodosols |
| 27 | Polk County, Wisconsin | 62% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 28 | Kewaunee County, Wisconsin | 61% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 29 | Columbia County, Wisconsin | 60% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 30 | Monroe County, Wisconsin | 60% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 31 | Sheboygan County, Wisconsin | 58% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 32 | Green Lake County, Wisconsin | 57% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 33 | Dodge County, Wisconsin | 57% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 34 | Washington County, Wisconsin | 57% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 35 | Waukesha County, Wisconsin | 55% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 36 | Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin | 55% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 37 | Menominee County, Wisconsin | 55% | Well drained | Spodosols |
| 38 | Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | 54% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 39 | Langlade County, Wisconsin | 54% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 40 | Manitowoc County, Wisconsin | 54% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 41 | Sawyer County, Wisconsin | 52% | Moderately well drained | Spodosols |
| 42 | Iron County, Wisconsin | 52% | Moderately well drained | Spodosols |
| 43 | Calumet County, Wisconsin | 52% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 44 | Chippewa County, Wisconsin | 51% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 45 | Washburn County, Wisconsin | 50% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 46 | Douglas County, Wisconsin | 49% | Moderately well drained | Spodosols |
| 47 | Eau Claire County, Wisconsin | 49% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 48 | Outagamie County, Wisconsin | 49% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 49 | Kenosha County, Wisconsin | 49% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 50 | Clark County, Wisconsin | 49% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 51 | Racine County, Wisconsin | 48% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 52 | Shawano County, Wisconsin | 47% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 53 | Winnebago County, Wisconsin | 43% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 54 | Waupaca County, Wisconsin | 42% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 55 | Oneida County, Wisconsin | 41% | Well drained | Spodosols |
| 56 | Marathon County, Wisconsin | 41% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 57 | Jefferson County, Wisconsin | 41% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 58 | Rusk County, Wisconsin | 39% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 59 | Lincoln County, Wisconsin | 39% | Somewhat poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 60 | Jackson County, Wisconsin | 38% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 61 | Marquette County, Wisconsin | 38% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 62 | Oconto County, Wisconsin | 38% | Well drained | Spodosols |
| 63 | Juneau County, Wisconsin | 36% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 64 | Price County, Wisconsin | 35% | Very poorly drained | Spodosols |
| 65 | Taylor County, Wisconsin | 33% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 66 | Vilas County, Wisconsin | 32% | Excessively drained | Spodosols |
| 67 | Portage County, Wisconsin | 32% | Well drained | Alfisols |
| 68 | Marinette County, Wisconsin | 31% | Well drained | Spodosols |
| 69 | Burnett County, Wisconsin | 30% | Moderately well drained | Alfisols |
| 70 | Adams County, Wisconsin | 27% | Excessively drained | Entisols |
| 71 | Wood County, Wisconsin | 16% | Somewhat poorly drained | Alfisols |
| 72 | Waushara County, Wisconsin | 14% | Excessively drained | Alfisols |