It’s May! Hooray!

But don’t get ahead of yourselves with the excitement of planting green things.

Today’s map is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, updated in 2012 with data through 2005.

Plant hardiness indicates which plants are most likely to thrive. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree Fahrenheit zones.

The Minnesota DNR has charts of the average dates of last freeze (and average dates of first freeze). Although accurate long-range forecasts of freeze dates remain beyond the reach of science, charts suggest that if you wait until mid-May to get planting, you’ll probably be OK if you live in central or southern Minnesota.