Soil series profile
Windsor soil series
Windsor is a excessively drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 477,986 acres in 61 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.1 strongly acidic · range 5.1–5.3
- Mapped area
- 478k acres in 61 counties, 8 states
Typical Windsor profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 in (Oe) | Moderately decomposed plant material | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 95% |
| 1–3 in (A) | Loamy sand | 5.1 | 1% | 85% | 4.13% |
| 3–25 in (Bw) | Loamy sand | 5.2 | 1% | 85% | 0.65% |
| 25–65 in (C) | Sand | 5.5 | 0% | 94% | 0.12% |
What this means
What Windsor soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Windsor soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.1 (most land between 5.1 and 5.3). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Sandy topsoil covers 98% of mapped Windsor acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is loamy sand (85% of mapped Windsor acres).
100% of mapped Windsor acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
98% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 98% of the acres in mapped Windsor soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (2% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Windsor soil is found
Mapped acres
Windsor is mapped in Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey. The 60 counties with the most Windsor acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Saratoga County, NY | 42,380 | 8.2% |
| Cumberland County, ME | 39,703 | 7.0% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 28,074 | 5.3% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 27,120 | 4.9% |
| Hampden County, MA | 18,790 | 4.9% |
| Bristol County, MA | 18,530 | 5.1% |
| Oneida County, NY | 18,012 | 2.3% |
| Hartford County, CT | 17,340 | 3.7% |
| Franklin County, MA | 14,870 | 3.3% |
| Worcester County, MA | 14,021 | 1.5% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 13,762 | 2.3% |
| Jefferson County, NY | 13,646 | 1.7% |
| Franklin County, VT | 13,163 | 3.2% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 12,239 | 2.7% |
| Oswego County, NY | 12,122 | 2.0% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 12,024 | 3.5% |
| Essex County, MA | 11,931 | 3.8% |
| Windsor County, VT | 11,484 | 1.9% |
| Fulton County, NY | 11,341 | 3.6% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 11,265 | 3.2% |
| Strafford County, NH | 9,875 | 4.1% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 9,652 | 2.3% |
| Kennebec County, ME | 9,465 | 1.7% |
| Essex County, NY | 8,432 | 0.7% |
| Rutland County, VT | 7,197 | 1.2% |
| Cheshire County, NH | 6,769 | 1.5% |
| Grafton County, NH | 6,123 | 0.8% |
| Windham County, VT | 6,087 | 1.2% |
| Washington County, RI | 5,545 | 2.5% |
| Sullivan County, NH | 4,837 | 1.4% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 4,677 | 1.1% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 4,258 | 0.5% |
| New London County, CT | 3,735 | 0.9% |
| Windham County, CT | 3,574 | 1.1% |
| Litchfield County, CT | 2,958 | 0.5% |
| Providence County, RI | 2,957 | 1.1% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 2,864 | 2.0% |
| Suffolk County, MA | 2,864 | 2.0% |
| Kent County, RI | 2,754 | 2.4% |
| Orange County, VT | 2,611 | 0.6% |
| Bennington County, VT | 2,364 | 0.5% |
| Middlesex County, CT | 1,532 | 0.6% |
| Tolland County, CT | 776 | 0.3% |
| Barnstable County, MA | 718 | 0.3% |
| New Haven County, CT | 672 | 0.2% |
| Fairfield County, CT | 587 | 0.1% |
| Bristol County, RI | 536 | 3.1% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 447 | 0.1% |
| Newport County, RI | 320 | 0.5% |
| Belknap County, NH | 284 | 0.1% |
| Richmond County, NY | 281 | 0.7% |
| Suffolk County, NY | 176 | 0.0% |
| Rockland County, NY | 99 | 0.1% |
| Westchester County, NY | 85 | 0.0% |
| Putnam County, NY | 20 | 0.0% |
| Queens County, NY | 13 | 0.0% |
| Kings County, NY | 11 | 0.0% |
| Essex County, NJ | 7 | 0.0% |
| Warren County, NY | 6 | 0.0% |
| Bronx County, NY | 3 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Windsor acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 97.7% |
| Not rated | 2.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Windsor acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–25% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 4.1%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 97.7% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 2.3% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 97.7% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.1% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 2.3% |
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 Windsor (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 477,986 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Windsor components. The profile comes from the single largest Windsor component. Full methodology.