Should a gardener/hiker/unenthusiastic snow shoveler consider Minneapolis?

[polo_golf_guy]

I too am growing cherry, grape and big boy tomatoes on my deck in containers. I also have bell, jalapeño and Scotch Bonnet pepper plants out there. They get lots of sun right now.

Eastern Minnesota has great trails for hiking and biking. The most interesting terrain I have seen is along the St Croix Valley and the Mississippi River bluffs. Elm Creek Preserve has nice trails in the NW suburbs.

I've seen snow removal advertised in the $1-150/ month range. I like the cardio aspects but am no fan of winter.

[PullMyFinger]

Originally Posted by MMK2015

I'm considering a great job opportunity in Minneapolis. I've done my research & know about the well-educated, progressive healthy, bike-rider friendly city. However, I want to be sure the twin cities will be a good fit for my family. Here are some questions, I haven't found answers to yet. If you could help provide you're input, we'd appreciate it.

1.) We love gardening & would be leaving our peach tree and a garden full of tomatoes. On my short visit to Minneapolis, I didn't see any gardens with tomatoes or peppers.
How will we need to change our lifestyle to garden in Minneapolis/St. Paul?
What will we need to grow tomatoes? High tunnels? Row covers?

Minnesota grows the best tomatoes in the world so no worries there. This is a farm state with great soil.

2.) I regularly walk through wooded/forested areas in our city park. On my quick tour through Minneapolis & St. Paul, I saw lots of bike trails and lakes.
Are there areas of the city/inner ring suburbs that have access to wooded trails?

3.) We are not the most enthusiastic snow shovelers. However, I hear it can snow from October to April and I found snow removal services on-line. How expensive are snow removal services?
Any suggestions for a neighborhood or area that might have both condo/town houses with snow removal service included and access to a community garden space/plot?

I do all my own. My retired neighbor pays something like $140 per month for snow removal and lawn mowing/maintenance and they do a really good job.

4.) I saw t-shirts at the airport that "mosquitoes are the state bird of Minnesota". Yet, I wasn't attacked by mosquitoes as I toured the city. Why the t-shirt? Are mosquitoes more common in rural areas? We'd like to spend time outside in fall/spring/summer and a pervasive mosquito problem, would be a deterrent.

They spray for mosquitos throughout the Twin Cities. I live in Woodbury and rarely do we see a mosquito.


Thanks again for any insight!

Good luck!

[pete6032]

Even though they spray for mosquitoes I would average 40-50 bites per summer. It really depends on your ethnicity/blood type and how much time you spend outside in the evening. For me being out after sundown on a June/July/August summer night was basically asking for trouble.

[Pincho-toot]

Snow in October in Minnesota is as likely as snow in northern Florida in January. A freak thing. Wouldn't worry about it.

[boscone1958]

If you are looking for a lot of casual outdoor time and gardening I would strongly recommend against Minneapolis. You will get a super skewed view of Minneapolis from the usual suspects here but overall casual/weekend/unplanned outdoor activity is much less enjoyable here than any of the other states I've lived in. Everything they have here is available in most states but with, I'd say, 1-2 months of additional pleasant days a year. Being a hunter or wanting to own wooded land are the only outdoor reasons I'd recommend this area over others.

Other than #2 I'm not seeing how anyone is honestly answering him considering his criteria?

If you're gardening for fun #1 is a F you will deal with early frosts, a lot of moisture etc, but the short growing season is definitely productive for the plants, #2 is definitely great here for what little time is pleasant outside, #3 will be fine in a condo; huge pain in a house, #4 we have a lot of mosquitos and they are everywhere outside of the cities/suburbs due to a lot of standing water

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by boscone1958

If you are looking for a lot of casual outdoor time and gardening I would strongly recommend against Minneapolis. You will get a super skewed view of Minneapolis from the usual suspects here but overall casual/weekend/unplanned outdoor activity is much less enjoyable here than any of the other states I've lived in. Everything they have here is available in most states but with, I'd say, 1-2 months of additional pleasant days a year. Being a hunter or wanting to own wooded land are the only outdoor reasons I'd recommend this area over others.

Other than #2 I'm not seeing how anyone is honestly answering him considering his criteria?

If you're gardening for fun #1 is a F you will deal with early frosts, a lot of moisture etc, but the short growing season is definitely productive for the plants, #2 is definitely great here for what little time is pleasant outside, #3 will be fine in a condo; huge pain in a house, #4 we have a lot of mosquitos and they are everywhere outside of the cities/suburbs due to a lot of standing water

you seem to have a good grasp on #2