An old wives tale says that snow is the poor man’s fertilizer. This is true because snow contains the nutrient nitrogen.  The snow lies as a blanket on the ground and slowly percolates through the soft spring soil, gradually releasing its fertilizer and moisture into the soil.

Snow delivers about two to twelve pounds of nitrogen per acre per year from the atmosphere to the soil.  This is not a huge amount but it is more beneficial than rain because of the slow release and little amount of runoff.

Now we can look on the bright side when we have an unexpected spring snow!

References:

http://www.adn.com/2008/10/08/550298/blanket-of-snow-is-a-poor-mans.html

http://www.greenmountaingarlic.com/in-the-garlic/vermont-snow-why-is-it-called-poor-mans-fertilizer/