Hello All! Garden newbie in a cold place

[TwinCitiesPanda]

Hi all!

I've just relocated to the twin cities, MN. I was last living in southern California for about 10 years, and Washington state before that. As a child in WA I did a lot of gardening with the family in our suburban backyard. In California, due to space restrictions and an inability to keep anything else alive, I got really into succulents. Everything else required way too much watering, which felt nearly alien coming from WA!

Now I have a house (rental) but lots of yard space and a lot of spare time outside of work I'm going all-in on gardening this year. Unfortunately theres 3-4' of snow over my entire yard at the moment, so all I can do now is work on planning! Looking forward to gardening, canning, and composting, 3 things I've never had space or time for before.

If anyone also lives in Zone 4 and has wisdom to share, I'm all ears. I'm nervous about the short growing season. I've ordered my seeds and gotten those little jiffy containers to get things started indoors. Been checking the UofMN extension site to get some help.

Additionally, advice on starting your first garden or buying your first tools/bare necessities, is also welcome. Coming from a tiny apartment I don't even have a mower for my yard yet!

Thanks everyone, I look forward to getting to know you better.

Edit: I am also anticipating Squirrel battles. If anyone has (non-violent) experience how to protect my veggies from these guys, please share!

 

[catjac1975]

Hi all!

I've just relocated to the twin cities, MN. I was last living in southern California for about 10 years, and Washington state before that. As a child in WA I did a lot of gardening with the family in our suburban backyard. In California, due to space restrictions and an inability to keep anything else alive, I got really into succulents. Everything else required way too much watering, which felt nearly alien coming from WA!

Now I have a house (rental) but lots of yard space and a lot of spare time outside of work I'm going all-in on gardening this year. Unfortunately theres 3-4' of snow over my entire yard at the moment, so all I can do now is work on planning! Looking forward to gardening, canning, and composting, 3 things I've never had space or time for before.

If anyone also lives in Zone 4 and has wisdom to share, I'm all ears. I'm nervous about the short growing season. I've ordered my seeds and gotten those little jiffy containers to get things started indoors. Been checking the UofMN extension site to get some help.

Additionally, advice on starting your first garden or buying your first tools/bare necessities, is also welcome. Coming from a tiny apartment I don't even have a mower for my yard yet!

Thanks everyone, I look forward to getting to know you better.

Edit: I am also anticipating Squirrel battles. If anyone has (non-violent) experience how to protect my veggies from these guys, please share!

Squirrels....cat and dog. Check craig's list for used tools. Start small. What is the hardest thing about gardening??? Weeding.

 

[TwinCitiesPanda]

Squirrels....cat and dog. Check craig's list for used tools. Start small. What is the hardest thing about gardening??? Weeding.

Ah thanks! Can't have pets here unfortunately, but once we buy a house that'll be happening for sure.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome, glad you found us! Grab an appropriate beverage, pull up a chair, prop your feet up, and jump right in.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH2019]

i'm close to a zone 4 but really zone 5 here. i do have a friend who lives in Mankato, MN who says our weather is pretty comparable when we travel about an hour north of here to the mountains which is zone 4.

tomatoes and peppers can be the hardest things to get going & growing with a short growing season & especially with the nighttime temps that can keep things from pollinating early enough. you might have to hand pollinate the tomatoes which isn't hard to do, just occasionally shake the branch the flowers are on & that will do it. there are some good types out there that should do ok for you but early season you should have some low hoop tunnels or cloches to help keep them warm & get a jump start if you plant them when the start of the season is cool/cold.

if you have local greenhouses they should help supply you with some started plants that will help save you some room in your house till you are set to start your own plants indoor next year. it can be a little expensive to go with started plants but they do give you a good head start on getting a harvest sooner.

a good source of garden info & they are also located in zone 4 is Johnny's Seeds in Maine. their website isn't just expensive seeds & tools but a lot of good info on getting started & helpful hints on growing. seeds are expensive if you buy packs but if you really like what you've grown & want to split packages with others i'd recommend getting the next package size up. or search online & see if anyone else is carrying the same seed.

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/growing-center.html
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/online-tools-calculators.html
if you are starting seeds & know your 1st & last frost dates i'd use this chart. just change the date to what your zone would need.
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/seed-planting-schedule-calculator.html

 

[flowerbug]

...
Edit: I am also anticipating Squirrel battles. If anyone has (non-violent) experience how to protect my veggies from these guys, please share!

hi, welcome.

fence with hot wire on top. get a fine enough mesh to take care of chipmunks and that covers all the rest, make it tall enough to keep deer out. expensive, but if you use t-posts and rolled mesh you can remove the clips and then roll it back up and move it when you move - or better yet convince the landlord to pay for it if he wants it left in place. i know, i know, i'm dreaming. i dunno what i would do if renting again but wanting a garden. i think i'd go with small plots fenced well so it could be moved easier in pieces. it really isn't that expensive compared to a wood fence or something more complicated. t-posts work well, don't get those cheap thin metal posts. those bend or rust through quickly.

as for what to get, two good shovels - one a spade and the other a flat blade for doing edges along pathways. a stirrup hoe, faster to scrape weeds often than to try to dig them out, as much plain cardboard as you can find to smother areas you don't need to plant right away, a small hoe and a four pronged rake, a hand trowel, a hand rake and a large knife (i use for fine weeding if needed), ground pillows to sit on (nicer than standing up and bending over) and kneel on. buckets or wheelbarrow. sometimes having more than one wheelbarrow is really nice but that is a luxury. sturdy ground tarp to pile things on or to help move stuff around.

some of these things can come along eventually. usually you'll figure out that you should not have bought something because you don't really use it. i try to avoid that as much as possible by being pretty frugal and keeping things simple.

a few pairs of good work gloves, hose, watering can...

 

[TwinCitiesPanda]

thanks for all the great resources @Chickie'sMomaInNH2019

 

[thistlebloom]

Welcome to the forum!
I have about 3+ feet of snow on my garden, and a pretty abbreviated season so I can commiserate. You may at least get hotter summers and that's helpful with short seasons. Good season extenders are frost cloth, and Wall 'O' Waters for getting a jump with tomatoes and other heat lovers.

It sounds like you're going to have a great adventure!

 

[so lucky]

I would advise you to buy seeds from a reputable source--at least a garden store. You can find them cheaper but sometimes the germination is down and the quality of plant you get is not good. Most unused seed can be saved for several years, stored in their packs then in glass jars or good plastic containers, in the freezer.
Welcome to TEG. I will follow your journey as you find ways to extend your growing season. We may all need to learn to do these things as the growing climate changes for all of us.
Oh, and Welcome!

 

[Collector]

@TwinCitiesPanda, welcome from Eastern Washington. Many of us garden around the 49th parallel and higher, be ready to get growing around your last frost date and be ready to cover in case of late frost. Glad you joined the group.