Spring gardening starting earlier than normal with warmer Minnesota temperatures [Video]

A United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map illustrates Minnesota’s climate has grown subtly warmer over the past decades, impacting what grows best.

Local gardening stores are seeing the impact of the early start to planting season first-hand. The gardening interest at Leitner’s Garden Center in St. Paul is growing a little earlier than normal.

“Which is fun for us. We got to get everything set up with plenty of new products already. This is normally what it [foot traffic] would maybe look like the second or third week of May even,” Madeline Parks, Leitner’s Garden Center assistant manager, said.

The abnormally warm temperatures are causing plants to prosper.

“Sometimes by now we still have the lows like in the 30s or dipping into freezing. We’ve had snow this late before,” Parks said. “So the fact that the lows are in the 40s that helps a lot.”

It’s causing people to get their hands on gardening items …