On 2/21/2010 5:29 AM, starrysmile wrote:
Will the melting 2 feet of snow we have be beneficial to my gardens?
My husband says "no, most of it evaporates". Is he correct? I was
hoping for an extra lush spring as payback for the horrible winter
we've had here in No. Va. Thanks!

Most of the water supply in California is the runoff from melting snow.
In a normal or wet year, the snow pack in the Sierras might contain
more water than the capacity of the California Water Project reservoirs.
By melting slowly, the snow pack is itself a reservoir.

In your area, the result is determined by whether or not the soil
freezes. In any case, much of the melting snow trickles through the
unmelted snow, down to the soil. If the soil is well frozen, the melt
water will then puddle or run off. If the soil is lightly frozen, the
melt water will soon unfreeze the soil and then soak into the soil. If
the soil did not freeze at all (protected from colder temperatures by
the layer of snow), the melt water will definitely soak into the soil.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary