Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new hardiness zone map revealing shifts in what plants are considered hardy in Minnesota, including the metro, which is now Zone 5a.

Zones for Gardening In November of 2023, for the first time in a decade, the U.S. Department of Agriculture made a change to the “Plant Hardiness Zone” map.

Minnesota's warming winters are impacting what you can grow. That change is reflected in the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2023 plant hardiness zone map. Compared to 2012, there has been ...

"Zone 4 is a big geographic area and so when we look at something, if it says zone 4, investigate a little more. Many of those things might be winter hardy," Kinzler said.

2012 and 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map zoomed in on northern Minnesota. (Courtesy USDA) The 2023 PHZM also contains a new “Tips for Growers” section which offers helpful information for ...

The USDA divides the United States into seven planting regions, known as hardiness zones, which were most recently updated in 2023. The maps below show these planting regions.

Trouble seeing the map? Click here to view the planting zones for the Northeast U.S. 'I miss you so': 1930s love letters found in bathroom wall during Ohio home renovation Forget the bathroom.

The USDA and Harvard University developed the hardiness zones during the 1920s and '30s, and the hardiness zone maps were first published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1960.

The USDA divides the United States into seven planting regions, known as hardiness zones, which were most recently updated in 2023. The maps below show these planting regions.