Final answer:
The New England region had the worst soil for farming of the English colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct phrase to complete the sentence is:
had the worst soil for farming of the English colonies.
In the New England colonies, farmers primarily grew crops for self-sufficiency due to the long winters and the rocky soil. However, they engaged in whaling, fishing, and shipbuilding for export. On the other hand, the Mid-Atlantic region had fertile soils and prosperous small-scale agriculture, while the Southern colonies focused on tobacco production and other cash crops.