Gardening in UP Michigan (Marquette: moving to, build, farm)

[dleal]

I was just wondering if there are many gardeners in UP. We live in Colorado and are considering moving to the UP area for the remoteness of it. We love snow, so that is not a problem. We also love to garden and we raise chickens. Does anyone else in the are have these hobbies? Are you successful? What can you grow in the growing season?

[jeeg]

I can't help you 'til next year with practical experience but I do see a lot of chickens and gardens in the rural areas. We are putting in a large garden this year (waiting a couple weeks to plant the main crops yet) and I am gathering materials to build a chicken coop.

Hopefully, some of the other yoopers here will have practical advice for us both.
If you got to seedsandspores dot com you'll see a large list of the crops they grow (only about 10 miles from me). They also raise chickens too.

[dleal]

Wow that farm looks great! My next question is how long are the winters. I have read people say 5-6 months, I don't know if they were exaggerating. Can any one tell me when the first snow is and the last ...approx. of course

[GraniteStater]

In Marquette the snow season usually runs from November through April. Snow can occasionally fall in September and May. The average annual snowfall for the UP can range from between 60 to over 250 inches in some favored areas downwind from Lake Superior.