Are they easy to grow? I was thinking of planting them in a garden behind the garage. It is shaded, is that a problem? I feel like planting fruit, it is fun to eat things that you grow.

Shady areas not so good for them as watermellons LOVE heat and FULL sun. They also love Water and require lots of space. I don`t know what veggies you can grow in the shade good, maybe lettuce??

I think that Watermelon is a cinch to grow, but I'm in a climate where we can harvest, most years, into late October before it gets too cool to sustain plants such as Peppers, Tomatoes & Melons. I'm not sure that the Minneapoils/St Paul area is far enough south to give you a good enough advantage to take them all the way to harvest, but I know people who have done it with success in your zone.

You'll need to begin with an established plant that has been started indoors & taken all the way past the maturity of true leaves, & plant when the ground is already warm, to get a jump-start on the time they'll need. (Go with a variety that takes under 75 days to harvest.)

Melons DON'T like a lot of water, which is something that surprised me when I first got started raising them! Because their fruits have such a high water content, I thought they needed all the water they could get! WRONG! I almost hate to pick them, cuz they're so picture-pretty!

Best of luck, & happy 2006 gardening!!