The recent snowfall in the Pacific Northwest probably caused nightmares for anyone who needed to run errands or commute to work, but it could also be making a lot of local gardeners happy. Why? Because one of their best secrets is coming right out of the sky – and it’s free.

According to weather folklore, snow that falls on land that’s not frozen is known as “poor man’s fertilizer.” That’s why old-time farmers and gardeners alike don’t get blue when the landscape turns white — they claim the snow is good for the plants to grow hardy later in the year.

Snow contains nitrogen, sulfur and other nutrients in a package of moisture that will feed the soil at a slower, more even rate as it melts, unlike a heavy rainstorm, which can flood garden beds, carrying precious nutrients away in runoff. Soils used for lawns and gardens usually have a shortage of nitrogen and need fertilizer to balance them out for spring planting.

The Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation’s Student Art Contest is underway. Students can enter original works of art until February 28, 2014. VisitLakeWildernessArboretum.org, email info@lakewildernessarboretum.org or call 253-293-5103 to learn more, volunteer, donate or become a member.