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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?
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?
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.
1. There are lots of gardeners in MN. If you buy a home there, you should easily be able to grow. The winters are long, but the snow provides plenty of moisture to be very fertile for growing. MN is home to a lot of farming, so it is very good land for it. Just keep in mind that things will have to be more seasonal.
2. There are lots of trails and bike trails. Not as much wooded area in the city. Although there are a few bigger parks in the outer ring suburbs. The great thing about Minnesota though is when you go a little further out. There are so many places to hike and camp. Especially the further north you go. The North Shore and Iron Range areas have some amazing wilderness only 3-4 hours away.
3. Snow removal services would probably run the same as lawn service anywhere else. But the frequency would depend on the weather. The other option is to get a snow blower. A good one would cost you a few hundred bucks and make snow removal a breeze. The other thing to keep in mind is that while it does snow in MN, it doesn't snow a ton like it does in the NE. There are many times where it's too dry for any snow in the entire month of Jan. Any snow that happens in Oct and most of Nov wouldn't need to be cleared either. It would most likely melt away by the end of the day.
4. They spray in the cities. As you go out further, they get pretty bad. The good thing though is that it's only for June, July, Aug, then they pretty much die out.
the one advantage that Minnesota may have over Georgia (assuming that's where you're at) is the length of daylight in summer where in June the sun sets around 9:00 pm and will stay light enough to work outside to close to 10 pm. However the biggest difference is in time of sunrise in which basically the whole month of June is around 5:30 am.
most every vegetable garden in Minnesota has different varieties of tomatoes growing and with a modest amount of care will be very productive. Canning supplies disappear off the store shelves soon after they appear in late summer. I've used the "wall-of-water" cones to get the jump on early planting of tomatoes but you need to also put plastic down to heat up your bed. It's almost easier to buy the little 4" plants at any garden supply location and put them in during late May (with the wall-of-water" cones to protect against a late frost).
it is difficult to grow the stone fruits here like peaches and sweet cherries but there are some peach varieties that will grow and produce fruit, and the tart cherries do seem to do well. That said, apples, pears, plums and even some varieties of apricots are commonly grown here.
not sure if you care about bulbs, but the cold weather is perfect for naturalizing countless varieties of these long-lasting, springtime bursts of color throughout lawn and garden beds.
1. No special considerations needed to grow tomatoes or peppers, and I'm very surprised you didn't notice any while you were here. I am growing both tomatoes and peppers this year (and next year I plan to expand to quite a few more veggies and herbs.) Sadly no peach trees here, though. Plums, cherries, and apples are all great options.
2. There are some great wooded areas tucked here and there throughout Minneapolis and Saint Paul, often along the river. I am particularly fond of Hidden Falls Park, which is near my house right in the center of the metro area and somehow feels like the woodsy rural area where I grew up.
3. Snow removal costs will vary based on the size of your sidewalks and driveway. I have a corner lot with a ton of area to clear, and my guy charges either $20 per clearing or $133 per month. As the above poster noted, it is possible to get snow October-April, but it won't "stick" that entire time. I highly recommend hiring it done if you can afford it. The pros come with the best tools and knock it out in a flash, while it will likely take you a lot longer if you try to tackle it yourself.
4. Mosquitoes are present, but the levels stay pretty low in the city due to abatement procedures they have in place. If you are going somewhere wilder than the urban jungle it is best to wear mosquito repellent. A quick spray and you won't be bothered.
Tons of gardeners and gardens in the TC. The sheer number of tomatoes and cucumbers coming to the office almost daily this time of year is evidence ("Take some home ... take ALL home" reads the sign). The growing season is shorter here and it is dangerous to put young plants in the ground before May 1st. Some people do start plants inside to transplant, some start with seeds (I have gotten great, healthy, inexpensive tomato and pepper plants at the St. Paul Farmers Market as late as mid-June for transplant, when the sellers are just trying to make room).
Know the zone. But, yeah, tomatoes, peppers, onions, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, strawberries, beets, potatoes ... not so great for watermelons, but not sure if that is a function of short season or that the soil is not sandy enough ... but still not bad. Tons of apple orchards along the river, so yeah, those, too.
Minnesota has some great state parks and county parks with hiking. Not mountain trails, but there is some nice terrain along the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers and a ton of stuff along the North Shore (if you like hiking, canoeing, kayaking and live in the TCs, you will soon get to know the North Shore for weekends).
Mosquitoes really only seem to be an issue when in the woods in July-August. Maybe that's just me. But even with the amount of rain we have had this summer (and the frequency, which has been perfect for keeping things green and lush), I have not been bothered by them, even when camping (near the TCs, haven't made it "Up Nort'" yet this summer).
Shoveling ... meh. There are plenty of services for hire with just about any contract you would need. Plus, during the one or three really big downfalls we can get each winter, there are always guys driving around with blades on their truck looking for ad hoc work.
I grow tomatoes in the one spot in my yard sunny enough to support them and they come out just fine. They don't harvest as early as they did when I lived a full zone warmer, but still do just fine with the right variety. At least we don't have quite the same groundhog problem as I had when I lived further south — I couldn't grow any swiss chard or lettuce unless I was willing to sit out back with a BB gun all season.
As far as condo associations that handle snow removal and lawn care, it really depends on which part of the Twin Cities you're going to live in. Up here in Blaine, most of them run $175-250/month, and that covers exterior maintenance and some insurance as well. There are similar set-ups in every corner of the metro, some better than others.
I personally use a two-stage snowblower, but then I have quite a large driveway and purchased it when I lived in a part of the country that routinely got 100 inches of snow each winter. It wouldn't make sense to buy one for here, as large snowfalls aren't as common as you might envision (though what we do get sticks around all winter, so take care of the snow whenever it falls or you will get behind).
Almost everyone I know here with outdoor space of any kind grows tomatoes - I bet you were just not here when they were in season and didn't notice the plants. Our Minneapolis yard has plenty of both tomatoes as well as a peach tree (there are a couple of varieties that can handle this climate). You'll find a lot more apples, tart cherries, and plums. We start our peppers and tomatoes inside in the spring and transplant outside as soon as the frost danger is over.
The Twin Cities are surrounded by some of the richest and most productive farmland in the country with, as Ghengis points out, the long days more than offsetting a relatively short growing season, so home gardens do quite well here. There are community gardens all over the city of Minneapolis where you can have a very nice garden.
Just a comment on the snow shoveling: it's great exercise and a way to get out and socialize with the neighbors in the winter months. Snow blowers can a lot of fun and, in certain neighborhoods, can help you with the prestige of a high cylinder count.
The Twin Cities are surrounded by some of the richest and most productive farmland in the country with, as Ghengis points out, the long days more than offsetting a relatively short growing season, so home gardens do quite well here. There are community gardens all over the city of Minneapolis where you can have a very nice garden.
Just a comment on the snow shoveling: it's great exercise and a way to get out and socialize with the neighbors in the winter months. Snow blowers can a lot of fun and, in certain neighborhoods, can help you with the prestige of a high cylinder count.
I live in the eastern 'burbs and on my street am the only one without a snowblower.
It was only a pain one winter over the past 15 years we have been back (2010-11, I think, when we got hit with some really big storms and overall much more than typical snow fall ... and it was a phenomenal PITA that year). Otherwise, an annoyance to deal with around work, kids, etc.
Honestly, I kind of like getting out there at 5 a.m. or 9 p.m. to shovel in the quiet and stillness of a Minnesota winter (before the roar of multiple snowblowers on the block). I don't like the cold. But with the right clothes (that is another thread you will want to start should you move here; one word, though: boots), once I get shoveling, I start shedding layers.
And, it is a great opportunity to be outside and share beers with neighbors in the winter. And throw snowballs at neighborhood kids.
That said, I totally get that some folks won't want to and cannot go that route. If you are new to Minnesota, you very well might want to just hire it out the first winter while you get settled in and have one less thing to worry about.
As Bryan the relator points out, if you look at condos, check into what their fees cover (some do include snow removal along with mowing). Plus there are many, many companies big and small who do it ad hoc or a monthly or seasonal contract. There may even be some neighbor kids looking to make some money (they may be using their parents' snowblower) - that still happens.
If you move here, check to see if your neighborhood has a NextDoor.com or some other neighborhood site set up - you can ask your neighbors what they do and who they hire.
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