That little bit of snow this week was a godsend for us backyard gardeners. The white stuff may be nasty to drive on, but it’s beautiful on a yard or garden bed.
Here’s why.
Snow is like aa natural mulch and helps to moderate temperature changes underground. It’s a natural blanket of insulation for your garden soil.  As with home insulation, the R value is determined by the depth of the snow.  New, un-compacted snow provides especially good insulation. A scanty snowfall of an inch or two doesn’t do much, but a freshly fallen deep, fluffy snow is ideal for plant protection. In some cases, the temperature of soil under snowpack can be double that of the ambient temperature.
Snow cover discourages perennials and bulbs from growing when a warm day occurs in winter, only to have their new growth zapped by the next cold spell.
Snow cover helps to preserve and add to soil moisture in the winter. Snow is also known as “poor man’s fertilizer.†As snow falls through the atmosphere, nitrogen attaches to the snowflakes, providing a gentle natural fertilizer boost to plants.
Spring’s coming, but until then, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.