Wait for it, wait for it… Go!
The “Average Last Frost Date” for the Twin Cities, Minnesota is May 15th. Exactly what does that mean to gardeners? It means planting time…. sort of.
Average last frost date means just that. It’s an average. Some years our last frost is earlier, some years later. (I think last year it was in January.) Granted yesterday was more like a hot summer day in August with temps reaching 90+ degrees and thunder storms and tornadoes last night, but it is Minnesota. (Remember last week? We had snow.) The weather the rest of this week and moving into this weekend is forecasted to be more like a “normal” upper mid-western spring. Since I left my crystal ball at the bowling alley the last time I was there and meteorologists don’t forecast out that far, we’re not sure what next couple of weeks will look like weather-wise, so go ahead and plant, with caution.
If you’re putting in veggies or annuals, keep in mind that you need to be watching the night-time lows. If it looks like temps are going to drop down into the mid- to low-30s be prepared to cover your plants and if temps get really low, possibly lose a couple. The other thing to keep in mind is that warm season crops, such as tomatoes, will not benefit from being planted early and actually will just “sit there” until the soil is warm and the weather is right. Perennials on the other hand, can be planted without much concern. The worst thing that can happen to most of them is a really, really cold snap can damage their buds and cause them to drop some of their flowers.
So, if you have the hankering like I do. Go ahead and plant, but have some old bed sheets handy, “just in case”.
Now, get out there and get dirty!
Kate
Walnuts n Pears 
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