Soil series profile
Gara soil series
Gara is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 1,071,550 acres in 83 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 93% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 95% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.8 neutral · range 6.5–6.8
- Mapped area
- 1.1M acres in 83 counties, 2 states
Typical Gara profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Loam | 6.8 | 18% | 50% | 2.23% |
| 6–31 in (Bt1) | Clay loam | 6.1 | 33% | 34% | 0.5% |
| 31–40 in (Bt2) | Clay loam | 6.1 | 33% | 34% | 0.5% |
| 40–79 in (C) | Clay loam | 7.0 | 32% | 34% | 0.17% |
What this means
What Gara soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Gara soils is neutral: pH 6.8 (most land between 6.5 and 6.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Gara acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (70% of mapped Gara acres).
>99% of mapped Gara acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Gara soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Gara soil is found
Mapped acres
Gara is mapped in Missouri and Iowa. The 60 counties with the most Gara acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, MO | 106,770 | 25.7% |
| Mercer County, MO | 89,539 | 30.9% |
| Putnam County, MO | 59,924 | 18.1% |
| Harrison County, MO | 53,812 | 11.6% |
| Adair County, MO | 51,959 | 14.3% |
| Ringgold County, IA | 49,766 | 14.6% |
| Schuyler County, MO | 45,667 | 23.2% |
| Scotland County, MO | 36,682 | 13.1% |
| Madison County, IA | 34,692 | 9.7% |
| Lucas County, IA | 34,491 | 12.5% |
| Decatur County, IA | 31,505 | 9.3% |
| Guthrie County, IA | 29,320 | 7.8% |
| Grundy County, MO | 29,004 | 10.5% |
| Davis County, IA | 28,606 | 9.0% |
| Warren County, IA | 26,903 | 7.4% |
| Clarke County, IA | 26,515 | 9.7% |
| Wayne County, IA | 24,626 | 7.3% |
| Appanoose County, IA | 23,633 | 7.5% |
| Knox County, MO | 20,191 | 6.2% |
| Clinton County, MO | 18,970 | 7.1% |
| Union County, IA | 18,865 | 7.0% |
| Gentry County, MO | 17,975 | 5.7% |
| Worth County, MO | 17,868 | 10.5% |
| Taylor County, IA | 17,348 | 5.1% |
| Andrew County, MO | 15,588 | 5.6% |
| Adair County, IA | 12,366 | 3.4% |
| Marion County, IA | 12,230 | 3.5% |
| Daviess County, MO | 11,572 | 3.2% |
| Keokuk County, IA | 10,974 | 3.0% |
| Adams County, IA | 10,741 | 4.0% |
| Monroe County, IA | 10,693 | 3.9% |
| Clark County, MO | 9,137 | 2.8% |
| Van Buren County, IA | 7,505 | 2.4% |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 7,069 | 1.9% |
| Jasper County, IA | 6,559 | 1.4% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 6,438 | 2.4% |
| Montgomery County, IA | 6,222 | 2.3% |
| Wapello County, IA | 6,126 | 2.2% |
| Page County, IA | 5,798 | 1.7% |
| Dallas County, IA | 3,648 | 1.0% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 2,616 | 0.5% |
| Iowa County, IA | 2,587 | 0.7% |
| Washington County, IA | 2,587 | 0.7% |
| Carroll County, IA | 2,391 | 0.7% |
| Shelby County, MO | 2,100 | 0.7% |
| Audubon County, IA | 2,065 | 0.7% |
| Mahaska County, IA | 1,995 | 0.6% |
| Henry County, IA | 1,709 | 0.6% |
| Marshall County, IA | 1,320 | 0.4% |
| Johnson County, IA | 1,298 | 0.3% |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 1,284 | 0.2% |
| Polk County, IA | 1,104 | 0.3% |
| Jefferson County, IA | 1,091 | 0.4% |
| Tama County, IA | 1,039 | 0.2% |
| Howard County, MO | 979 | 0.3% |
| Macon County, MO | 937 | 0.2% |
| Clay County, MO | 915 | 0.4% |
| Scott County, IA | 696 | 0.2% |
| Lee County, IA | 539 | 0.2% |
| Cedar County, IA | 538 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Gara acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.9% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Gara acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 1.5 feet (18 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 5% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 12–22% (median 17%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 93.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 6.9% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 94.9% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 5.1% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Gara (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,071,550 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Gara components. The profile comes from the single largest Gara component. Full methodology.