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Land Assay
Site reportPrepared October 21, 2026

Hermantown Industrial AUAR Study Area

Saint Louis County, Minnesota · 277 acres · 46.77367° N, 92.28647° W

1,000 ftN

USDA NAIP aerial photograph with the boundary drawn for this read.

277 ac
A large holding - design it in sections
104 ft
from low point to high
4b
hardiness zone (USDA map)
140 days
frost-free, typical year
31.2 in
precipitation a year
54%
sorts as good growing ground
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Land Assay
Hermantown Industrial AUAR Study Area
The short version

What this land is like

Map 2

A first sort of the ground

2,000 ftN
Growing ground 54%Wet 18%Wet in spring 18%Cold air pools 1%Steep 0%Workable with care 10%

Over the USDA NAIP aerial photograph. Growing ground: under 15% slope, not north-facing, soil mapped well or moderately well drained. Wet: the wettest tenth by wetness index, or soil mapped poorly drained. Wet in spring: somewhat poorly drained; mound trees, raise beds. Cold air pools: the lowest, flattest tenth; wet ground there counts as wet. Steep: 30% and over. Rules of thumb: walk it before planting.

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Land Assay
Hermantown Industrial AUAR Study Area
Water

Where water comes from, gathers and goes

OUT▲▼123½ mileN
Runoff paths, darker as more ground drains to them1Where water gathers, rankedOUT leaves▲ ▼ high and low pointContours every 10 ft, heavy every 50 ftMapped by NWI: emergent forested or shrub pond stream channel
Where it comes from
The land around it drains away or along the line rather than onto it. That keeps neighbours' runoff out, and means every gallon kept has to be caught on site.
Where it gathers
Ranked by a wetness index (how much ground drains to a spot, and how flat it is there): 1toward the southeast edge, fed by about 33.3 acres; 2near the middle, fed by about 10.0 acres; 3toward the northeast side, fed by about 7.1 acres. These are the first places to look after a hard rain, the likeliest places for a pond, and the worst for a fruit tree or a foundation.
Where it leaves
No single path carries much of it away. The largest leaves toward the south edge with the runoff of 9.6 acres, 3% of the water crossing the site; the rest crosses the line in many small paths or gathers in low spots.
Mapped wetlands
The National Wetlands Inventory (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) maps about 22.2 acres (8% of the site) as wetland: 18.4 acres freshwater forested or shrub wetland (swamp or shrub bog), 3.1 acres freshwater emergent wetland (marsh or wet meadow) and 0.76 acres freshwater pond, and about 0.82 acres (under 1% of the site) as part of a lake or river, its water or the shore it floods: 0.82 acres river or stream channel. The map above outlines it. The soil survey, a separate map, rates about 39% of the soil here hydric (wetland soil). NWI is drawn from aerial photographs from 2009, not on the ground: it misses small wetlands, wetlands under trees and drained ones, and it is not a wetland delineation.
Holding it
66% of the site sits on 3–15% slopes, the range where swales (level ditches on contour) are practical to dig by hand or small machine. Group D: clay, shallow bedrock, or a high water table; most rain runs off. Swales can waterlog and fail - prefer diversion drains, planting on the contour without cutting, and ponds where the soil holds. The soil survey rates F137B's subsoil very limited for seepage under a pond: test-dig before building one.
Roof water
Every 1,000 sq ft of roof sheds about 623 gallons per inch of rain: roughly 19,400 gallons a year here at 31.2 in. A 30 × 40 ft pole building would shed about 23,300 gallons a year.
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Land Assay
Hermantown Industrial AUAR Study Area
Soil

What the soil survey says is underneath

F137BF135AF144DF138DF151AF33AF143BF136A½ mileN
Map unitShareDrainageRunoffBedrockWater table
F137B Normanna-Canosia-Hermantown complex, 0 to 8 percent slopes46% · 130 acModerately well drainedB/Ddeeper than 5 ftat the surface
F135A Hermantown-Canosia-Giese, depressional, complex, 0 to 3 percent slopes20% · 54 acSomewhat poorly drainedC/Ddeeper than 5 ftat the surface
F144D Aldenlake-Ahmeek complex, 8 to 18 percent slopes11% · 29 acWell drainedAdeeper than 5 ftbelow 6 ft
F138D Ahmeek-Normanna-Canosia complex, 0 to 18 percent slopes9% · 26 acWell drainedCdeeper than 5 ft18 in
F151A Tacoosh mucky peat, dense substratum, 0 to 1 percent slopes5% · 14 acVery poorly drainedA/Ddeeper than 5 ftat the surface
F33A Cathro muck, depressional, dense substratum, 0 to 1 percent slopes4% · 9.8 acVery poorly drainedB/Ddeeper than 5 ftat the surface

…and 4 smaller units.

What the survey says about building and septic

Map unitSeptic: trenchSeptic: at-gradeSeptic: moundHouse with basementHouse, no basementRain garden
F137B46% of siteExtremely limitedsoil saturationVery limitedsoil saturationSlightly limitedsoil saturationVery limiteddepth to saturated zoneSomewhat limiteddepth to saturated zoneSeverely limitedwetness
F135A20% of siteExtremely limitedsoil saturationExtremely limitedsoil saturationExtremely limitedsoil saturationVery limiteddepth to saturated zoneVery limiteddepth to saturated zoneSeverely limitedwetness
F144D11% of siteExtremely limitedsoil saturationVery limited35% or more rock fragmentsModerately limitedslopeSomewhat limitedslopeSomewhat limitedslopeSomewhat limitedslope
F138D9% of siteExtremely limitedrestricted percolationModerately limitedslopeModerately limitedslopeSomewhat limitedslopeSomewhat limitedslopeSomewhat limitedslope
F151A5% of siteExtremely limitedorganic soilExtremely limitedorganic soilExtremely limitedorganic soilVery limiteddepth to saturated zoneVery limiteddepth to saturated zoneSeverely limitedwetness

These are the soil survey’s ratings for the map unit, not a perc test or a site evaluation. Rain garden is its rating for shallow infiltration; trench, at-grade and mound are Minnesota’s three kinds of septic drainfield.

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Land Assay
Hermantown Industrial AUAR Study Area
Season

The growing season

USDA hardiness zone 4b (official map, zip 55810). NASA's data for the last ten winters computes 3b. In a typical year the last spring frost comes around May 13, and one year in ten as late as May 29. The first fall frost comes around Oct 1, one year in ten as early as Sep 18.

last frost ~May 13first frost ~Oct 1112 safe days · May 29 – Sep 18JFMAMJJASONDfrost-free 9 years in 10frost-free in an average yearfrost likely
2°F
average January low
38
nights a year at 0°F or colder
1,789
growing degree days (base 50°F): the heat that ripens fruit
1.6
days a year at 90°F or hotter
Water through the year

Rain against what the air takes back

31.2 in of precipitation in a typical year (17.7 in of it between the frosts), and about 90 in of snow. Months shaded tan lose more water to evaporation than they get as rain: May, Jun, Jul and Aug. Those are the months stored water and mulch pay for themselves.

0"1"2"3"4"5"6"JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrain and melted snowwhat plants and soil give back to the airmonths that run short

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals for Duluth, MN (USW00014913), 6 miles from the site. Years of record: frost dates 29 of 30, precipitation 30, temperatures 28–29, all at NOAA's standard of 24 or more. Chosen over Duluth NWS, MN, 6 miles away, whose normals NOAA estimated from nearby stations (4–10 years of record). Averages at the station, not your thermometer: hollows run colder, slopes and shores milder. Evaporation is estimated from the station's temperatures (Hargreaves method).

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Land Assay
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Sun and wind

Light, shade and shelter

NESW
Winter sun, sunrise to sunsetSummer sunWinter wind, by direction it comes fromSummer wind

At noon on the shortest day the sun stands 19.8° above the southern horizon, so a 30 ft tree casts an 83 ft shadow. Anything that needs winter light (a greenhouse, a south window, early beds) wants that much clear ground on its sunny side.

In midsummer the sun rises at 53°, sets at 307° and gives 15.9 hours of daylight, so east and west walls take direct sun morning and evening. In midwinter the useful light comes from a narrow wedge, 8.5 hours long.

Wind

Winter wind comes mostly from the NW, WNW, NNW; summer wind from the WNW, NW, E. A windbreak for the house, garden and animals belongs on the northwest side. A dense row of trees shelters ground for roughly ten times its height downwind, so a 30 ft row covers about 300 ft.

Which way the ground faces

Of the sloping ground: 31% faces south, 34% east, 17% west and 17% north; 20% of the site is too flat to face anywhere. South and east faces warm first in spring; north faces hold snow and bloom later, which can save early-flowering fruit from a late frost.

DaySunrise bearingSunset bearingSun at noonDaylight
Winter solstice (Dec 21)124°236°19.8°8.5 h
Spring equinox (Mar 20)90°270°42.8°12.1 h
Summer solstice (Jun 21)53°307°66.7°15.9 h
Fall equinox (Sep 22)88°272°43.9°12.2 h

Bearings are compass degrees (90° east, 180° south, 270° west). Times here are solar time. Solar noon at this longitude falls roughly 9 minutes after clock noon in the nearest zone (before daylight saving), give or take the equation of time (up to 16 min).

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Plants

What grows in zone 4b

139 of the 150 plants in the Land Assay library are hardy here. These are the most useful of them for a start, chosen for how many jobs each one does, with the ones that take this site's medium-moisture and wet soil listed first.

Fruit and nut trees

Plant the ones you will eat; most need a second variety nearby to fruit.

  • Apple Malus domesticacanopy · 23 ft
  • European pear Pyrus communiscanopy · 30 ft
  • American hybrid plum Prunus americana x salicinacanopy · 16 ft
  • Sour cherry Prunus cerasussubcanopy · 13 ft
  • Manchurian apricot Prunus armeniaca var. mandshuricasubcanopy · 20 ft
  • Juneberry (Allegheny serviceberry)MN Amelanchier laevissubcanopy · 26 ft
  • Saskatoon serviceberryMN Amelanchier alnifoliasubcanopy · 13 ft

Berries and fruiting shrubs

The fastest food from perennials, usually two to four years to a crop.

  • Haskap (honeyberry) Lonicera caeruleashrub · 5 ft
  • Raspberry Rubus idaeusshrub · 5 ft
  • Black currant Ribes nigrumshrub · 5 ft
  • Half-high blueberry Vaccinium hybridsshrub · 3 ft
  • Gooseberry Ribes uva-crispa and R. hirtellumshrub · 4 ft
  • Red and white currant Ribes rubrumshrub · 5 ft
  • Aronia (black chokeberry)MN Aronia melanocarpashrub · 7 ft

Soil builders

Nitrogen fixers: grow them beside the fruit and cut them back to feed it.

  • Alfalfa Medicago sativaherb · 3 ft
  • Northern bayberry Myrica pensylvanicashrub · 8 ft
  • Red clover Trifolium pratenseherb · 2 ft
  • Speckled alderMN Alnus incana subsp. rugosasubcanopy · 23 ft
  • GroundnutMN Apios americanavine · 10 ft

For pollinators and pest control

Small flowers and strong scents that keep helpful insects on site.

  • Alfalfa Medicago sativaherb · 3 ft
  • Anise hyssopMN Agastache foeniculumherb · 3 ft
  • Comfrey (Bocking 14) Symphytum x uplandicumherb · 3 ft
  • Dandelion Taraxacum officinaleherb · 1 ft
  • Garlic chives Allium tuberosumherb · 2 ft

For the wet ground

Plants that take wet feet, for where water gathers.

  • American elderberryMN Sambucus canadensisshrub · 10 ft
  • Basket willow (osier) Salix purpurea and S. viminalisshrub · 16 ft
  • CattailMN Typha latifoliaaquatic · 8 ft
  • Aronia (black chokeberry)MN Aronia melanocarpashrub · 7 ft
  • Comfrey (Bocking 14) Symphytum x uplandicumherb · 3 ft

Native to Minnesota

MN marks the 12 of the 35 plants on this page that are native to Minnesota, going by Minnesota Wildflowers, the Bell Museum's state flora checklist and the MN DNR. The status is statewide: some grow wild only in part of the state (shagbark hickory in the southeast); Minnesota Wildflowers maps each one's counties. Pollinator-friendly native plantings in home yards can qualify for cost-share from programs like Minnesota's Lawns to Legumes (Board of Water and Soil Resources).

A starter guild: Apple Malus domestica

One fruit tree with the plants that feed, guard and cover it, laid out about 23 ft across, all hardy in zone 4b.

Nitrogen fixerNorthern bayberry, Blue false indigo, White clover
Nectary for beneficial insectsAnise hyssopMN, Garlic chives, Lemon balm
Pollinator forageAnise hyssopMN, Comfrey (Bocking 14), Dandelion
Mulch makerComfrey (Bocking 14), Stinging nettleMN, Rhubarb
Aromatic pest confuserGarlic chives, Lemon balm, Catnip
Living mulchWhite clover, Woodland strawberryMN, LingonberryMN
Root minerComfrey (Bocking 14), Dandelion
Berry / shrub layerAmerican elderberryMN, Aronia (black chokeberry)MN, American highbush cranberryMN
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Your goals

Read for what you want from this land

The 3 goals you ticked, read against this land's own numbers.

Water security

Almost no runoff arrives from off the property, so every gallon kept has to be caught on site. It gathers first toward the southeast edge (spot 1 on the water map), fed by about 33.3 acres. The place to look at for a new pond is spot 2, near the middle, fed by about 10.0 acres: spot 1 lies in the site's lowest tenth, where cold night air settles. The National Wetlands Inventory maps spot 2 as a freshwater forested or shrub wetland (swamp or shrub bog): check the wetland rules before any digging there. The soil survey rates the soil at spot 2 (F135A) very limited for seepage behind a wall, but its water table can fill a dug pond: test-dig in late summer. 66% of the ground sits on 3–15% slopes, where swales are practical, and every 1,000 sq ft of roof sheds about 19,400 gallons a year. Store it before May: evaporation outruns rain in May, Jun, Jul and Aug.

Wildlife and habitat

The National Wetlands Inventory already maps about 22.2 acres (8% of the site) as wetland on the water map: 18.4 acres freshwater forested or shrub wetland (swamp or shrub bog), 3.1 acres freshwater emergent wetland (marsh or wet meadow) and 0.76 acres freshwater pond. That is the wildlife's first draw, best left as it is. Runoff gathers first at spot 1, toward the southeast edge; the place to look at for a new pond is spot 2, near the middle. The National Wetlands Inventory maps spot 2 as a freshwater forested or shrub wetland (swamp or shrub bog): check the wetland rules before any digging there. The soil survey rates the soil at spot 2 (F135A) very limited for seepage behind a wall, but its water table can fill a dug pond: test-dig in late summer. Of the site, 18% sorts wet and 18% wet in spring; left that way it is habitat already. Part of the site is mapped as wetland soil. A windbreak on the northwest side, planted as a mixed hedgerow, shelters birds as well as the house.

Community space

Gathering space wants level, dry, sheltered ground: 76% of the site is under an 8% slope and 30% under a 3% slope. Keep it off the 36% that sorts wet or wet in spring. Winter wind comes mostly from the NW, WNW and NNW, so the shelter goes on the northwest side; summer wind from the WNW, NW and E cools a seat left open to it.

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Next

Where to start

  1. Walk it in a hard rain.Stand at the OUT mark and the numbered spots on the water map. Watch where water actually runs; culverts, ditches and tile drains do not show on elevation data.
  2. Dig a test hole in the green ground.Two feet down, or to rock. Do a jar test for texture and send a sample to a soil lab (university extension labs run a basic test for about $20). It settles pH and nutrients before anything is bought.
  3. Put a thermometer in the low ground for a winter.A min/max thermometer at the low point shows how much colder the frost pocket runs than the zone says.
  4. Plan the water before the plants.Decide where roof water goes and where it can be stored for May, Jun, Jul and Aug.
  5. Start close to where you will be every day.Put the first beds and fruit nearest the house or the path you walk daily. Ground you pass every day gets watered, weeded and picked; ground you visit weekly gets forgotten.
  6. Check the wetland rules before digging.The National Wetlands Inventory maps about 22.2 acres here as wetland (water map), and part of the site is mapped as wetland soil. Filling, draining or digging a pond in wetland usually needs a permit.

Ready for a design or a build? We can recommend you to a designer in your area: hello@landassay.com

Honest limits

What this report can't tell you

Sources

Elevation. USGS 3D Elevation Program, via the 3DEP ImageServer. Read on 28.9 ft cells. Public domain.

Soils. USDA NRCS Soil Survey (SSURGO), via Soil Data Access. Wetlands. USFWS National Wetlands Inventory. Public domain.

Climate. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USW00014913 (Duluth, MN). Public domain. Evaporation: Hargreaves equation (FAO-56). Wind. NASA POWER, NASA POWER daily 2016–2025 (API v2.10.0). CC BY 4.0.

Hardiness zone. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023), by zip code via phzmapi.org.

Sun. NOAA solar position equations. Aerial photograph. USDA National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP), via USGS The National Map. Public domain.

Address. OpenStreetMap contributors, via Nominatim. ODbL.

Plants. The Land Assay plant library: reference values from horticultural and extension sources. Data pulled 2026-10-21 at 11:29.

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