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I will move soon and I want to know what states or cities have rich fertile soils. It is one of the Must Have's because I love gardening and I cannot live without it.
I want good soil for flowers and vegetables maybe.
The Plains states and much of the Midwest. But why not make an optimal growing season a priority instead of good soil? After all, your soil can be amended, but your climate cannot.
You're not going to have much of a garden if you are in a suburb that was previously farmland. After a century or two of farming, the topsoil is just an inert medium that holds artificial fertilizers up against the roots. Plan on buying lots of Miracle-Gro, unless your garden is behind a house in town that has been there for a hundred years.
Rainfall is probably the most important factor. Also - in parts of the country like here in E TN - soils will vary greatly from location to location. You can get information and maps from the soil conservation service. Worst case scenario you can always amend the soil.
Are you looking just to feed yourself and family or plan to get into truck farming?
You can grow flowers and vegetables in every state in the country. Even in coastal Alaska, where we have gravel instead of soil, a 4-month growing season, and summers that are too cool and cloudy to grow tomatoes without a greenhouse, people still grow flowers and vegetables.
If I wanted the best general area for gardening, I'd look in areas known for agriculture, like the Midwest or Mid-Atlantic regions. The suburban houses there may have yards made of crummy fill dirt, but you'll at least be in a climate that's favorable for growing a wide variety of plants, with a relatively long growing season, mild summers, and winters that are favorable for many perennials. You'll have longer frost-free periods further south, but keep in mind that in a place with very hot summers you may really only have good growing conditions in the spring and fall.
Last edited by tigre79; 03-03-2012 at 02:48 PM..
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