With summer on the horizon in Michigan, it’s almost time for gardeners across the state to begin planting their warm-weather plants.
While there are definitely some colder, hardier plants that could’ve been planted in April, such as carrots, potatoes and spinach, many planters should want to wait until the last frost to plant the warm-weather plants.
The Michigan Plant Hardiness Zone map released by the USDA in 2023 places part of Mid-Michigan in zone 5a and 5b. This area is specifically in between US-127 and US-131. The northern portion of this area can expect the last frost between May 10 and May 30.
Moving towards the eastern portion of the state, the Midland area and Thumb region are in the 6a zone, which has a slightly earlier predicted last frost between May 1 and May 15.
The coastal areas of the state are the most unique. Take Manistee County, for example: The coastline is in Zone 6b, with the earliest predicted last frost of the season falling between April 15 and April 30. Moving inland, the county shifts to Zone 6a, with last frost dates of May 1 to May 15. In the eastern portion of the county, it falls in Zone 5b, with last frost dates from May 10 to May 25. That pattern holds for most coastal counties.
According to the MSU Extension, after the frost, some of the plants that are likely to be planted are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and eggplants.
Looking at the weather for the next week, the highlighted areas that are expected to have freezing conditions are within the Mid-Michigan area for the rest of the week. Starting on Tuesday night, temperatures are expected to drop below freezing, with Freeze Warnings in place for the region.
From there, frost is likely on Wednesday night, Thursday night and into Friday. In fact, the overnight lows are not expected to reach above 40 degrees in the central portion of the state.
The Climate Prediction Center notes that for its 6-10 day outlook, Michigan is expected to be below average in temperatures, which will likely mean lower chances for frosts and freezes overnight. It stays this way for the 8-14 day outlook, though a shift does appear to be on the way.
The back end of May shows warmer than average temperatures for the region, meaning that it may be prime time to begin planting, as freezes should hopefully be done for the year during this period.
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