Fruit Trees for Marshall, Montevideo and Granite Falls, Minnesota

In the cold snap at the end of January 2019, the NOAA station at Granite Falls, down on the floor of the Minnesota River valley at 930 ft, hit −36°F, the coldest reading in its records. Marshall, 26 miles away and about 220 ft higher near the foot of the Coteau des Prairies, bottomed out at −29°F. That 7°F split is where choosing fruit trees for Marshall, Montevideo and Granite Falls starts: a prairie that drains its cold away, cut by a deep glacial trench that collects it.

The map covers Lyon, Yellow Medicine and southern Chippewa counties and the edges of Lac qui Parle, Redwood and Renville, from Lynd and Marshall north to Dawson, Clara City and Maynard. Type your address in the box on the map to get the number for your own place, and the list of what we sell that has come through it.

How to read this map

Every number is a 30-year planning low, the same number our cold hardiness calculator uses, built from NOAA station records since the 1995-96 winter and adjusted for the lay of the land. It's a safe number to plan around, not a record and not a promise of how often it comes. Next to it you get the MFTC zone (that number in half zones), the typical winter (an average year's coldest night, the kind of number USDA's zones are built on) and the spring layer: how many degrees warmer or colder a spot runs than Marshall on a still, clear night at bloom.

Marshall is the reference town. It plans for −34°F (zone 3b) with a typical winter of −20°F. The middle of the growing ground plans for −35°F (zone 3b), and nine tenths of it falls between −37°F and −33°F. The warm end is the prairie south of the river: Dudley, Saint Leo, Clarkfield and Belview at −32°F. The cold end is in and along the river trench, all zone 3a: Granite Falls at −38°F, Minnesota Falls at −37°F, Montevideo and Wegdahl at −36°F. At bloom, the spring layer runs from about 6°F colder than Marshall where the Chippewa meets the Minnesota to 1°F warmer at Lynd and Minnesota Falls.

Why the map looks the way it does

The big feature is the upper Minnesota River valley. Glacial River Warren cut it draining Glacial Lake Agassiz and left a flat-bottomed trench far too big for the river in it now. Its floor at Montevideo (929 ft) and Granite Falls (916 ft) sits 130 to 250 ft below the prairie on either side, and the counties all around slope toward it. In the southwest corner the land climbs toward the Coteau, from Marshall at 1,162 ft to Lynd at 1,321 ft, about 400 ft above the floor at Granite Falls. The rivers cut steep wooded valleys on the way: the Redwood drops 300 ft in 15 miles coming off the Coteau, and the Lac qui Parle River about 210 ft over its last 18 miles into the trench.

On a clear, calm night every field radiates its heat to the sky, and the chilled, heavier air slides downhill. Ravines and creek valleys carry it down, and the trench's flat floor holds it. Granite Falls has run a median 4°F colder than Marshall in the year's coldest reading, and its average yearly low is −27°F to Marshall's −21°F. On February 16, 1936 the Montevideo station read −39°F and Marshall −36°F, while Tracy, up on the Coteau slope at 1,400 ft, read −30°F in the same cold snap. In the January 21, 1970 cold snap it was Montevideo −37°F, Marshall −29°F.

The same split shows inside each valley town, because each has a station near the floor and another at its airport, up near the level of the prairie. Over the winters each has on file since 1995, the Granite Falls station (930 ft) has averaged a yearly low of −25°F and the airport (1,047 ft) −22°F, with 30-year numbers of −39°F and −34°F. At Montevideo the station southwest of town (990 ft) has averaged −24°F and the airport (1,033 ft) −19°F, with 30-year numbers of −38°F and −31°F.

Get off the floor and the winter number improves, though less than you'd hope, because a winter cold pool runs deep: the benches above both valley towns plan only 2°F to 3°F warmer than the floor. The spring layer swings harder. It comes from the lay of the land around each spot (how high it sits above its nearest low ground, and whether its cold air has somewhere to go), and in and around the trench it runs from 6°F colder than Marshall at the mouth of the Chippewa to 1°F warmer at Minnesota Falls, 40 ft up a toe slope. A Hungarian study of 69 clear, calm nights found a valley floor averaging 6.7°F colder than a slope 230 ft higher, the same kind of gap.

Away from the trench the prairie is close to flat, and small rises do the sorting. The University of Minnesota's fruit people say as little as 20 ft of drop within an orchard can make a difference, and a 1936 Michigan orchard survey found ridges only 25 to 30 ft above the plain could be nearly as frost-free as high hills. Out here a 20 ft rise is your thermal belt, and a creek bottom is your frost pocket.

The Coteau foot is windy (Minnesota's DNR calls windy conditions very common there), and wind keeps cold air from settling on a rise but strips snow off the roots. Not every snap sorts by height: in the January 15, 1972 snap Tracy read −32°F and Tyler, at 1,735 ft, −31°F, while Montevideo and Marshall both read −28°F. That looks like a snap that came in on a wind, when there's no inversion and higher ground can run colder. Lac qui Parle, the reservoir just northwest of the map, averages about 6 ft deep, and shallow water freezes early; a lake only shelters its shore while it's open, and a river bottom is still a bottom. Towns get a small credit on the map, though we haven't found a heat island study for any town here. The valley floor floods in wet springs, and low, wet, grassy bottoms are where frost settles first.

Marshall, Klein Acres and the Redwood River

Marshall sits at 1,162 ft where the Redwood's floodplain begins; the river flooded the city often enough that diversion canals went in from 1961 to 1963. Downtown along Marvin Schwan Memorial Drive plans for −34°F (zone 3b) with a typical winter of −20°F. Within 3 miles the range is narrow, from −33°F on the warmest tenth of the growing ground to −35°F on the coldest. Plan on the colder end down along the Redwood and the diversion channel, where cold air settles.

Marshall's two NOAA stations agree on the number to plan for. The town's long-record station (1,149 ft) hit −34°F in the 2017-18 winter and has a 30-year number of −34°F; the airport station at Ryan Field (1,178 ft) has bottomed out at −31°F since 1995, but its 30-year number is −34°F too. The map lands right with them at −34°F.

Klein Acres, southwest of town at 1,196 ft and 30 ft above its nearest low ground, plans for −34°F and reads 1°F colder than Marshall at bloom. Dudley, about 5 miles east, plans for −32°F, tied for the warmest winter number of any named place we checked, though it reads 2°F colder than Marshall at bloom. At −34°F anything rated −35°F or colder fits: Haralson, Snowsweet®, Toka plum, Black Gold sweet cherry.

Minneota, Ghent, Taunton, Lynd and the foot of the Coteau

West and south of Marshall the land rises toward the Coteau des Prairies. Minneota (1,170 ft, on the South Branch of the Yellow Medicine), Ghent (1,166 ft) and Taunton (1,179 ft) plan for −33°F to −34°F, zone 3b, and the ground around them hardly varies: the coldest tenth within 3 miles is −34°F to −35°F, the warmest −33°F. They read about 1°F colder than Marshall at bloom. Bob Purvis, one of the grower friends whose winter notes go into our ratings, found Yataka Fuji too tender for cold, windy open prairie in southwest Minnesota. Plant behind a windbreak, and leave its low side open so cold air can drain out.

Lynd is the odd one. At 1,321 ft it's the highest named place we checked, but it sits on the Redwood where the river comes down off the Coteau, and the old Lynd station (1,175 ft, records from 1895 to 1927) holds the area's coldest NOAA record, −43°F on January 12, 1912. The town plans for −35°F, the benches around it −33°F, and it reads 1°F warmer than Marshall at bloom. Just southwest, the Redwood's ravine at Camden State Park shelters one of the westernmost natural stands of sugar maple in North America; a ravine like that is shelter by day and a cold-air drain at night, so plant on its shoulders. Farther up the Coteau toward Pipestone, the Worthington, Pipestone and Buffalo Ridge map covers you.

Montevideo, the Chippewa and Wegdahl

Montevideo sits in what's called a double river valley, where the Chippewa joins the Minnesota. Downtown around Artigas Plaza sits at 929 ft, flat on the floor, and plans for −36°F (zone 3a) with a typical winter of −23°F. The floor within 3 miles medians −37°F. The mouth of the Chippewa plans for −38°F and has the coldest spring reading of any place we checked, about 6°F colder than Marshall; downtown reads 3°F colder. After the 1997 flood more than 100 homes were moved off the floodplain, the same low ground the valley stations measure. Our −36°F for downtown is colder than anything the station southwest of town recorded in its 12 winters on file since 1995 (−34°F, in 1995-96), but its own 30-year number is −38°F.

Climb out and it gets better: the benches within 3 miles plan for about −34°F. Wegdahl, southeast of town on a 7 percent toe slope 30 ft above the floor, still plans for −36°F, but it reads even with Marshall at bloom, 3°F better than downtown. That's where apricots, plums and pears belong around Montevideo: up the valley wall, with cold air free to drain. On the floor, stick to apples rated −40°F or colder like Frostbite and Zestar!®, Evan's Bali tart cherry, honeyberry and currants.

Granite Falls and Minnesota Falls

Granite Falls is the cold end of the map. Downtown on Prentice Street sits at 916 ft, 20 ft above the valley floor, and plans for −38°F (zone 3a) with a typical winter of −25°F. The floor within 3 miles medians −39°F, the benches −37°F, and even the warmest tenth of the ground only −36°F. That −38°F is colder than anything the Granite Falls station has recorded (−36°F, January 2019), but the station's own 30-year number is −39°F and it was the coldest station here in the January snaps of 2009, 2010 and 2019, so we wouldn't plan warmer.

River Warren scoured this reach down to gneiss about 3.5 billion years old. It shows in town at Memorial Park and Blue Devil Valley, and the knobs standing up to about 50 ft above the valley floor grow prickly pear cactus: dry, sunny rock in a valley that pools cold. Minnesota Falls, about 4 miles east of downtown at 1,032 ft, sits on a 4 percent toe slope 40 ft above its nearest low ground. It plans for −37°F and reads 1°F warmer than Marshall at bloom. In town, plant things rated −40°F or colder (Wealthy, Kerr, Brookgold, Westcot), with the stone fruit up on the slopes.

Clarkfield, Hanley Falls, Cottonwood and the prairie south of the river

Between Marshall and the trench lies the till plain of Yellow Medicine and northern Lyon counties, and the numbers follow the creeks. Hanley Falls, on the Yellow Medicine 10 ft above its floor, plans for −36°F, and so do Hazel Run and Lorne. Clarkfield, 40 ft above its nearest low ground, plans for −32°F against −35°F for the low ground within 3 miles. Wood Lake plans for −34°F with the low ground around it at −36°F, Echo −33°F against −35°F, and Saint Leo, out west, −32°F.

Cottonwood, on the east shore of Cottonwood Lake, plans for −35°F; right next to it, Lindsay Mobile Home Court reads 4°F colder than Marshall at bloom. Toward Redwood County, Vesta and Milroy plan for −33°F, Lucan −34°F, Belview −32°F, Seaforth on the Redwood −34°F, and all read about 1°F colder than Marshall at bloom. Holmberg Orchard near Vesta grows 11 apple varieties for pick-your-own, Zestar, Honeycrisp, SweeTango and SnowSweet among them. Where your number is −35°F, lean on things rated −40°F or colder, like Honeycrisp and Mount Royal plum.

Clara City, Maynard, Dawson and the north and west edges

North and east of the river, Chippewa and Renville counties are low rolling prairie sloping south to the valley, with Hawk Creek running past Clara City and Maynard. Clara City, Bunde and Asbury plan for −35°F, Maynard and Gluek −36°F, all reading even with Marshall to 2°F colder at bloom. Up here the map leans on its nearest stations, the valley and airport stations at Montevideo and Granite Falls. Sacred Heart's center plans for −34°F, 2°F warmer than the low ground around it, and reads even with Marshall at bloom.

On the west edge, in Lac qui Parle County, the West Branch of the Lac qui Parle River runs right through Dawson. The town sits on its floor and plans for −36°F (zone 3a) against −34°F for the low ground within 3 miles, and reads 3°F colder than Marshall at bloom. Boyd plans for −35°F. The Madison station, just past the map's edge, was the coldest in the area on January 1, 1974 (−35°F) and February 9, 1994 (−36°F). Over the line in South Dakota, the Brookings, Watertown and Coteau map covers you, and toward Willmar the Willmar and Alexandria map picks up.

Spring frost and bloom in the upper Minnesota River valley

The spring layer follows the winter drainage, read up close. The coldest readings of the places we checked are low and flat: the Chippewa's mouth (6°F colder than Marshall), Lindsay Mobile Home Court by Cottonwood (4°F colder), Dawson and downtown Montevideo (3°F colder), then Gluek, Lorne, Green Valley, Normania, Spring Creek and Boyd (2°F colder). The best sit 30 to 40 ft above their floors: Lynd and Minnesota Falls 1°F warmer than Marshall, Wegdahl, Asbury and Sacred Heart about even. NC State's fruit people figure 3°F to 4°F can separate no crop from a full one.

NOAA station records for 1991 to 2020 put the median last 32°F at May 2 at Marshall, Tracy, Madison and Lamberton and May 3 at Montevideo, and one year in ten as late as May 15 to May 17. The last 28°F comes April 18 at Marshall and Tracy but April 24 at Montevideo. Fall is where they split: the first 32°F comes September 30 at Madison, October 5 at Montevideo and October 8 at Marshall, so the frost-free season runs 148 to 151 days at Lamberton, Montevideo and Madison and 158 at Marshall and Tracy.

We haven't found a published report of a spring freeze wiping out fruit in Lyon, Yellow Medicine or Chippewa counties. Statewide, on April 9 and 10, 2012, a freeze hit trees blooming unusually early; low-lying orchards lost early varieties while ridge-top orchards came through, and Windom, south of this map, hit 16°F that week. In 2026 two freezes did nearly 80 percent blossom damage at the University of Minnesota's Horticultural Research Center at Chaska; early bloomers escaped and mid-season bloomers took the worst of it.

Open blossoms of apple, pear, cherry, peach, apricot and plum all start dying at about 28°F. Only about 15 percent of apple blossoms need to set for a crop, and fully open haskap flowers take 19°F. So apples, haskap and bush fruit can go lower, and apricots, plums, sweet cherries and pears get the best spring reading you have. Bob's southwest Minnesota trials point to late bloomers: Zard blooms very late, Dr 606 and Harlayne late, and Black Gold is late and somewhat frost resistant. Through bloom, mow the grass under the trees short and water a day or two before a frost night. The University of Minnesota's main advice: don't fill low sites with trees.

What the weather records say

The coldest reading in the NOAA station records we pulled for this area is −43°F at the old Lynd station on January 12, 1912. February 16, 1936 set the records at Montevideo (−39°F, 103 years on file) and Marshall (−36°F, 83 years). Granite Falls hit −36°F on January 30 and 31, 2019 with only 19 years on file; Madison's record is −36°F (February 9, 1994), Lamberton's −34°F (January 1970) and Tracy's −33°F (January 13, 1916).

In most of the big snaps the valley ran colder than Marshall: Montevideo ran 5°F colder in the February 1962 snap and 6°F colder in February 1994. Average yearly lows run from −21°F at Marshall to −25°F at Montevideo and −27°F at Granite Falls. NOAA station records show the worst night in about 30 winters runs a median 13°F below a station's average winter low, and Marshall comes close: typical winter −20°F, planning low −34°F.

Going by the NOAA station averages (we haven't pulled USDA's 2023 map town by town), Marshall's −21°F falls in USDA's zone 4b range (−25°F to −20°F), Montevideo's −25°F sits on the line between 4a and 4b, and Granite Falls's −27°F is in 4a. Every named place we checked is zone 3b or 3a on our map. USDA's zones are built on the average of each winter's coldest night, ours on the bad night you plan for, so ours read about a full zone colder.

What you can grow here

Our ratings are the coldest temperature each plant is known to have come through, so pick things rated at or below your planning low, and treat anything up to 5°F short as worth a try in a good spot.

The Coteau foot and the warmer prairie towns: −32°F to −34°F

Marshall, Klein Acres, Minneota, Ghent, Taunton, Dudley, Milroy, Lucan, Vesta, Belview, Echo, Wood Lake, Clarkfield, Saint Leo and Sacred Heart. Good picks, rated −35°F or colder: Haralson, Honeycrisp, Snowsweet® and Zestar!® apples; Ure and Clara Frijs pears; Toka and Superior plums; Evan's Bali tart cherry; Lapins and Black Gold sweet cherries; Westcot and Zard apricots; Siberian C peach. Worth a try, rated −30°F: Concorde and Harrow Sweet pears (Bob had both hardy to −34°F in southwest Minnesota), and Dr 606 and Harlayne apricots. Toka and Superior are good pollenizers for the hybrid plums; the pollination maps show the rest.

The till plain and the creek towns: −34°F to −36°F

Clara City, Normania, Lynd, Cottonwood, Hanley Falls, Hazel Run, Lorne, Boyd, Bunde, Asbury, Maynard, Gluek, Dawson and the benches above Montevideo. Good picks, rated −40°F or colder: Haralson, Honeycrisp, Zestar!®, Frostbite and Parkland apples; Kerr and Trailman applecrabs (if you only plant one tree, make it one of these); Krasnobokaya, Summercrisp and Luscious pears on higher ground; Toka and Mount Royal plums (Bob saw Mount Royal survive −44°F in west-central Minnesota); Evan's Bali; Westcot and Morden 604 apricots on your highest ground. Things rated −35°F (Superior, Black Gold, Zard, Siberian C, Clara Frijs) fit where your number is −35°F or warmer and are worth a try at −36°F.

The river trench and its rim: −36°F to −39°F

Montevideo, Granite Falls, Wegdahl, Minnesota Falls and the river bottoms. Stick to things rated −40°F or colder: Wealthy, Oriole, Haralson, Kerr, Trailman and Centennial (Ed Schultz saw zero winter injury on it after a winter that hit −47°F), Bolshaya pear, Brookgold plum, Evan's Bali, and Westcot and Debbie's Gold apricots. On the floor itself, plant apples, applecrabs and bush fruit: Honeyberry, Montana Black Currant, Red Lake currant, Nanking Cherry and Aronia. Pears, plums and apricots go up on the toe slopes and benches.

Roots are the weak link, especially on the windswept Coteau foot where snow blows off. The University of Minnesota's old apple and pear guide puts injury to dwarfing rootstocks at root-zone temperatures of 18°F to 22°F, while hardy seedling rootstocks take as low as 14°F, so use hardy stock and hold snow over the roots. Bob Purvis's site rules hold here: an east-facing slope is ideal, plant on a slope but not on a windswept crest or down in the bottom, and clear brush that dams cold air at the foot of a slope. Taper water from mid-August so trees harden off. Watch for fire blight (the University of Minnesota flagged Mantet, Wealthy and Prairie Spy among the more susceptible) and southwest trunk injury: paint trunks white and head trees low with a strong southwest branch.

Fruit history here

Orchards are scarce here. We haven't found a history of commercial orchards in Lyon, Yellow Medicine or Chippewa counties, and Minnesota Grown's Pride of the Prairie region lists no fruit growers in Montevideo, Granite Falls, Dawson or Clara City. Honeycrisp was tested at Morris, in west-central Minnesota, before its 1991 release. The best fruit record for this corner is Bob Purvis's published southwest Minnesota trial results, the most specific hardiness data we've seen for this part of the state: Dr 606 apricot proved hardy to −41°F, Black Gold cherry survived −34°F, and Rosemary, a Japanese plum, was severely injured at −29°F. Holmberg Orchard near Vesta is the only orchard near here on MPR's 2014 statewide orchard map.

Questions people ask

What growing zone is Marshall, Minnesota?

Our map has Marshall planning for −34°F, MFTC zone 3b, with a typical winter of −20°F. The Marshall station's average yearly low of −21°F falls in USDA's zone 4b range. USDA's zones are based on an average winter, ours on the bad night you plan for, so ours read about a full zone colder.

What growing zone are Montevideo and Granite Falls?

Downtown Montevideo plans for −36°F and Granite Falls for −38°F, both MFTC zone 3a, with typical winters of −23°F and −25°F. Their NOAA stations average yearly lows of −25°F (on USDA's line between 4a and 4b) and −27°F (USDA's 4a range).

Is Granite Falls colder than Marshall?

Yes. NOAA station records show Granite Falls running a median 4°F colder than Marshall in the year's coldest reading, with an average yearly low of −27°F to Marshall's −21°F. It sits about 220 ft lower, on the floor of the Minnesota River valley, where cold air pools on still nights. Our map plans for −38°F in Granite Falls and −34°F in Marshall.

When is the last frost in Marshall, MN?

NOAA station records for 1991 to 2020 put Marshall's median last 32°F at May 2 and its last 28°F at April 18. One year in ten the last 32°F comes as late as May 16. Montevideo runs a day later for 32°F (May 3) and six days later for 28°F (April 24).

Can you grow apricots in southwest Minnesota?

Yes, if you pick hardy kinds, favor late bloomers and give them high ground. Bob Purvis's southwest Minnesota trials had Westcot averaging 200 lb per tree in 2010 and Zard bearing a full crop after −33°F. We rate Westcot at −45°F and Zard at −35°F; keep them off the valley floor and creek bottoms, where the spring reading runs as much as 6°F colder than Marshall.

What pears are hardy in southwest Minnesota?

Bob Purvis found Concorde fully hardy at −34°F there and Harrow Sweet hardy to at least −34°F, both with some fire blight resistance; we rate both at −30°F, so they're worth a try on the Coteau foot. For more margin, Ure, Summercrisp and Luscious are rated −40°F and Krasnobokaya −50°F. Pears bloom early, so give them your highest ground.

Warmer spots, colder spots

Here's the number to plan for at named places on the map, warmest first. Each one is the 1-in-30-year low for that spot: the cold hardiness calculator's number from the same weather stations, sharpened by our microclimate model for the ground right there. Zone is our MFTC zone, set by that one bad night, not by an average.

The weather stations behind it

These are the long-record stations in and around this map, with each one's own numbers since the winter of 1995-96. The last column is this map's 30-year number right at the station, which won't match the station exactly: it's a blend of the stations around it, the way the calculator works everywhere.

Source: NOAA records through ACIS, winters 1995-96 through 2025-26. What the "carried forward," "gaps filled" and AWOS rows mean is explained in how our microclimate maps work.