County Round-Up and the "Onion Snow"
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Updated: 5:57 AM Nov 30, 2008
County Round-Up and the "Onion Snow"
It snowed today across much of the region. Just a dusting for some. Tony blogs on what is known as the "onion" snow and has his first county round-up of the spring!
Posted: 4:20 PM Mar 24, 2008
Reporter: Tony Cavalier
Email Address: tony.cavalier@wsaz.com
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The “Onion” Snow and Farm Talk

This is one I learned about 25 years ago when I broke into TV in the heart of the beautiful Amish Country of Lancaster County Pa. There the old time farmers would boast of the spring “onion” snow every year.

If you do a universal search, you will see this is a truly Keystone State piece of folk fore as I could not fine one local extension agent (I called 5) who had heard of the onion snow.

Basically, spring onions are planted in late March and early April and most years a wet sprinkling of snow occurs to confirm the onion season is here. Myron Evans, Carter County extension agent tells me right now the peas have been planted, but the onions in Carter County patches are not yet it. See the enclosed picture from Susan May in Grayson for what an onion snow looks like!

While I had Myron on the phone, he told me of the optimism on the farm for this year thanks to the winter rains. With the drought broken and water table replenished, signs are good going into the planting season. “This gives us some moisture to work with as we start the growing season. Hopefully it will set us up for a bountiful harvest next fall.”

Wayne Bennett, Putnam agent, for one lamented the effects of the drought from last year. “We had one half of a first cutting of hay and that was it. The second and third cuts of a normal year did not occur.” That meant the Putnam hay crop was a huge bust last year.

In Scioto County Ohio, Rich Sherman took one look at the flooded bottomlands and predicted a “late start to the growing season. Remember Tony, you can't get in the fields to plow until the soil is dry and you can’t plant until the plowing is done”. Right now the general forecast remains wetter than normal thru April, so Rich’s late planting prediction looks on target.

Latest Comments

Posted by: Kathy S on Mar 30, 2008 at 06:36 AM

I told Tony that one too "country girl" - about if it thunders in Feb, it will frost that date in May and it DOES. You can count on it can't you? My mom always told me that & sure enough I've marked it down and EVERY year it's TRUE. One year it thundered on the 29th or 30th of Feb & as we know everyone around here thinks they're safe planting stuff after May 10th so many laughed at me when I went out, covered up all my plants/flowers that late in May but a lot of them got THEIR stuff frost bit even as late as that in May so THAT old saying is RIGHT always! I'd never heard about the sweetpea birds..what did she mean? What kind of birds? Never heard the onion snow either until now. I told you TC that a LOT of us out here love to hear these old sayings and swap/share them! "Country Girl"..we need to write each other & swap some more! How can we swap email addys privately here I wonder? TC? Know how to do THAT for us? Happy Spring everyone!
Posted by: tony on Mar 25, 2008 at 12:45 PM

Tonys blogs always make for informative reading
Posted by: country gril on Mar 25, 2008 at 12:18 AM

tony i knew it was time to plant peas my mother said she heard the sweetpea birds hollering.but i have never heard of the onion snow i really like th old folk lore i know ever what days it thurnders in febuary it will frost them days in may so keep an eye on your plants on these days would love to hear some more old sayings
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