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Grittyville, WA

Washington's is "Tokul". Uh... what??? I have lived here my whole life and didn't know we had a state soil.

Here is an excerpt from an article about California's state soil:

January 15, 2020 – As you know, many states have a designated state bird, flower, fish, tree, rock, etc. And, many states also have a state soil – one that has significance or is important to the state. We’ve previously written about New Jersey’s state soil, Downer. The San Joaquin is the official state soil of California. Let’s explore how the San Joaquin is important to California and even the entire world. -YubaNet

Look up your own state soil, and you will almost certainly learn something.

Grow big.

3/10/2026 3:44:17 PM

Ottawa, Il

Illinois: Drummer silty clay loam

3/10/2026 5:04:13 PM

I. Falls, Minn

Lester soil became the Minn. state soil in 2012

3/10/2026 6:08:40 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Menfro - fertile silt loam soils found primarily along the Missouri and Mississippi River

That seems accurate since I grow on a quagmire half the year, lol

Good post BTW

3/10/2026 6:18:19 PM

Ironton, ohio

A quick google search says Miamian is the Ohio State soil. Learn something new every day.

3/10/2026 6:53:09 PM

Central NY

Our state bird is the blue bird (hi Larry)

3/10/2026 8:51:28 PM

Portland, CT

Connecticut: Windsor soil. It's a sandy soil present in the CT river valley that is good for growing Tobacco.

3/10/2026 9:58:22 PM

C N Y

New York:
'Honeoye is a fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Glossoboric Hapludalf, known for being very productive and commonly used for crops like corn, soybeans, and alfalfa.'
I've never even seen a Blue Bird, lol and the soil type is reminiscent of names for the Patons' pumpkins or Lord of the Rings characters, lol again. eg

[Last edit: 03/11/26 1:44:02 AM]

3/11/2026 1:30:21 AM

C N Y

Gritty Ketchup, you will find this interesting, although WeiGhoff-topic, lol---it ties in with soil type, sort of and it is eye-opening. I need manure!
https://www.bigpumpkins.com/DisplayPhoto.asp?pid=7348&gid=1
Be sure to research 8buck to see a few more displays. eg----I can remove this comment if you'd like.

[Last edit: 03/11/26 1:46:17 AM]

3/11/2026 1:43:17 AM

Sunny Okanagan

Intriguing thread. As it turns out, British Columbia doesn't have an official soil. Granted, at just shy of a million square kilometers in landmass area (that's room for two Californias and a Buckees for my American friends), it's kind of hard to pick just one soil. Therefore, I'm going to write a little about the soil I grow (and have worked) in.

The Okanagan Valley was formed by glacial activity, the glaciers giving way to Glacial Lake Penticton. A lot of the valley has glaciolacustrine deposits, mostly silt and clay. I worked in an excavation (the deepest one to date in the valley), and in the silty clay deposits were "dropouts". These are polished stones that fell out of the melting glacier as it floated overhead. Imagining myself at the bottom of a frigid lake with an island of ice directly over my head was mind-boggling. Even more bizarre were the multitude of small freshwater clam and snail shells in that same layer of sediment. There were even some remnants of plant debris, partially preserved in the anaerobic conditions. Who knows, maybe someone will find Ogopogo remains, someday!

The clay I grow in is not dissimilar to the soils mentioned above. It is a smoke grey colour, dense, and highly prone to swelling. Many a door cannot shut properly at different times through the year as the native soils heave and contract. But, it retains moisture exceptionally well, which is just about the only good thing about it.

-GIT

[Last edit: 03/11/26 2:19:25 AM]

3/11/2026 2:16:58 AM

Maine

Maine's official state soil is Chesuncook, designated in 1999. It is a deep, well-drained soil found on hills, mountains, and ridges. Formed in dense glacial till from slate, it is highly productive and supports hundreds of thousands of acres of timberland in the state.

3/11/2026 6:42:37 AM

Anchorage Alaska

snow

3/11/2026 11:42:21 PM

Springfield, VT

Vermont soil is Tunbridge set in 1985

3/12/2026 8:11:14 AM

Central NY

lol Dale

3/12/2026 11:23:54 AM

Grittyville, WA

Bummer Dale, I hear you. Our soil this year could be rainwater. Puddlemuggleslop or something. Take care u guys.

3/12/2026 11:40:13 AM

Rapid City, SD

Rapid City, South Dakota, does not have a single official soil, but the region is characterized by diverse soils including Altvan loam, Cushman-Shingle loams, and Bankard fine sandy loam. While Houdek soil is the state soil of South Dakota, local Rapid City area soils are often well-drained, deep to shallow, and formed from alluvium, residuum, or glacial till, impacting agricultural and residential

3/12/2026 4:13:59 PM

New England

MA is "Paxton series", sounds fancy. As Google continues, "It is a fertile, well-drained soil formed in thick glacial till, often found on drumlins and hills across the state." Unfortunately for me, my yard is on a hill near a pond and all ledge. I have to build on top of it for a pumpkin patch. I won't be growing any records

3/12/2026 10:59:32 PM