The main spring planting season is almost here in central Minnesota. We have a couple of cold fronts coming are way yet according to the forcast. I have already done my frost seeding as planned and I am excited to see the results in a couple more weeks. For more traditional planting of food plots I will wait until the soil temps warm up more. 50 degree soil temps seems like the holy grail for planting in the spring. There are a lot of good reasons not jump the gun and to wait until the soil has warmed up to 50. This means you still have plenty of time to get your soil tests done, work up the ground, and get the fertilizer/ lime applied. You don't really need to get a soil temp meter. I just look at the forecast and average temps on weather underground. When the low temperature for the day is around 45-55 degrees consistantly you should be good to go. Another good indication is that if you still have ice on your local lakes it is way to early for spring planting. Don't plant to early or you will be risking poor germination and or the risk of the plants starting to grow and then freezing. If you are not sure or on the border line of the soil and weather being to cold just give it a week or two. You will be glad you did! I'm not saying you should wait until summer to plant as then you could run out of moisture. Planting food plots is all about preparation and timing. The perfect spring time situation would be to get all of you work done with soil temps 50 or above and then get a nice warm, slow rain. We all know that the weather is all but forgiving so it is important to keep an eye on the changing conditions. Thanks for reading and have a Happy Easter!