Northern Minnesota Info (St. Paul, Duluth, Brainerd: rent, motels, homes)

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I was looking at a mapping program yesterday, and was wondering what type of crops are grown using center pivot irrigation west of the Park Rapids area?
I thought very few crops could be grown in the northwoods due to the shorter growing season?

Very few crops can be grow in the northwoods for several reasons including poor soil, dense tree cover, short growing season.

I would suggest you explore this concept. MN is three distinct regions all very different. In the SW part of the state, it is prairie with very rich soil and this is suitable to grow many crops with corn being the primary cash crop. As you go to the North and east, you get into a transitional area with hardwood forests. Lot of farming still, but spread around more and less large operations. As you go further North and east you get into land that is virtually unfarmed. It is a mix of fir, pine, aspen, with some maple mixed in. Lot of low spots and swampy areas. You can see the effect of glacier activity without much effort. Large rocks all over the place, very little soil.

You will also find that irrigation is not used as heavily here as we do tend to have enough rainfall. Once you get west of Missouri river, you see more irrigation systems.

[aluminumpork]

I guess I'm not sure how serious you are about growing your own food (some posts here make it sound like you want a full on farm). I got the impression that you wanted a decent sized garden with the usual assortment of fruit/veggies. I grew up just north of Duluth in Normanna township on 50 acres. My mother has a very large garden and grew everything from cucumbers and corn to watermelon and tomatoes. Most of our meals were completely built upon fruit and vegetables from the garden. She devised a small gravity fed irrigation system for the garden had a tilling attachment for the garden tractor. For all intents and purposes, it was a small farm, albeit without the livestock.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by whatnow

Yes, northern WI gets good snow cover, many times better than MN.

Especially in areas close to Lake Superior, where totals can reach 100" +.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Ben Around

Especially in areas close to Lake Superior, where totals can reach 100" +.

That would be "lake effect" snow, I would imagine...? Flooomp!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

Very few crops can be grow in the northwoods for several reasons including poor soil, dense tree cover, short growing season.

I would suggest you explore this concept. MN is three distinct regions all very different. In the SW part of the state, it is prairie with very rich soil and this is suitable to grow many crops with corn being the primary cash crop. As you go to the North and east, you get into a transitional area with hardwood forests. Lot of farming still, but spread around more and less large operations. As you go further North and east you get into land that is virtually unfarmed. It is a mix of fir, pine, aspen, with some maple mixed in. Lot of low spots and swampy areas. You can see the effect of glacier activity without much effort. Large rocks all over the place, very little soil.

You will also find that irrigation is not used as heavily here as we do tend to have enough rainfall. Once you get west of Missouri river, you see more irrigation systems.

I guess Park Rapids would be on the western fringe of the northwoods in a transition zone? True, MN does not have a lot of irrigation, but I did see some center pivots on the maps. Another poster said sugar beets were a common crop in this area.

[MeganAK]

Originally Posted by aluminumpork

I guess I'm not sure how serious you are about growing your own food (some posts here make it sound like you want a full on farm). I got the impression that you wanted a decent sized garden with the usual assortment of fruit/veggies. I grew up just north of Duluth in Normanna township on 50 acres. My mother has a very large garden and grew everything from cucumbers and corn to watermelon and tomatoes. Most of our meals were completely built upon fruit and vegetables from the garden. She devised a small gravity fed irrigation system for the garden had a tilling attachment for the garden tractor. For all intents and purposes, it was a small farm, albeit without the livestock.

Yes, you are correct, we are just wanting a small garden to feed us (two people) and are not so much interested in farming. We are willing to ship in dirt and fertilize to enrich it if needed. Thank you for the reply, that sounds like just what we are wanting to do! I also appreciate all the comments about the short growing season, but keep in mind that we are coming from Alaska. Short is relative. People here still manage to grow many, many veggies, it just take more greenhouse work, cold-frame beds, etc.

Thanks for all the info. We will be researching in person this summer.

[slamont61]

What you are looking for item for item you'll find in Minneosta. Really the perfect state and it's something the average American has no clue about.

Start looking now for that Perfect land to begin your new life, in the Lower 48.

[newcastle]

Originally Posted by Ben Around

Especially in areas close to Lake Superior, where totals can reach 100" +.

The last time snow levels were over 100'' in Duluth area was 1992 with 132'' of snow. Unusual to say the least. A more typical snow pack is about 80'' and it comes in small amounts of 2-3 inches at a time with usually one or two good storms. This year we have had the fourth snowiest December on record.

[MidwestWeekender]

Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin are beautiful, but not great for growing things -- maybe potatoes. Why don't you look into southwest Wisconsin, especially the lovely ridges and valleys of Vernon County, around Viroqua. Lots of city people have gone back to the land there, home to the big Organic Valley co-op, lots of artists, very progressive. The Amish also have moved there recently. And in the last few years, it's been very snowy! In 2008, Madison had a record snowfall.

[marmac]

In Minnesota,whether one needs irrigation or not has everything to do with soil type and little to do with annual rainfall

The valley along the Mississippi River is very sandy so there will be lots of irrigation heading North of MPLS all the way to Brainerd (in that valley of "sugar sand")

There are also areas of sand that run along hiway 71 from Long Praire to Sauk Centre and along 71 near Wadena and near Park Rapids ( potoatos grow good in irrigated sand)

Sugar beets are usually grown in areas of the state that have few rocks and heavy ,black,soil.