When to Start Pepper Seed in Minnesota
Start pepper seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before transplant day. In the Twin Cities area, where the last spring frost typically falls between April 17 and…
Gardening in Minnesota
Everything we have worked out for Minnesota: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Minneapolis, the last spring freeze runs April 17 to April 30 and the first fall freeze runs October 11 to October 23, USDA zones 3a-5a, 3,013 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 30.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Minnesota: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Minnesota
Minnesota gardeners lose pepper fruit for one of two reasons: the plant sat through a stretch of 90-degree days when pollen turned sterile, or a summer…
Growing Carrots in Minnesota: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Minnesota’s benchmark soil, the Lester series, runs 39 percent sand, 24 percent clay and 37 percent silt with a near-neutral pH near 6.6.
Growing Beets in Minnesota: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Minnesota’s own state soil, the Lester series, is a well-drained loam that leans slightly sandy and holds a moderate reserve of organic matter.
When to Plant Potatoes in Minnesota: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
Plant potatoes in the Twin Cities metro area between late March and mid-April, working backward from a last spring frost that falls April 17 to April 30…
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Minnesota
Minnesota gardeners should dig potatoes before the ground freezes and the first fall frost settles in, which in the Twin Cities area runs October 11 to…
Potato Varieties That Suit Minnesota
Minnesota’s growing conditions favor early and mid-season potato classes planted from certified seed as soon as soil hits 50°F, a window that falls 14 to…
When Does the Heating Season Start in Minnesota?
Heating demand in Minnesota kicks in during September, once the statewide reference station shows normal temperatures slipping below 65°F.
What to Plant in Minnesota in September
September in Minnesota is a race against the first fall frost, not a countdown to winter.
What to Plant in Minnesota in October
October in Minnesota is garlic month, not seed-starting month. The first fall frost lands somewhere between October 11 and October 23 across the state…