Out There: Stories from the Woods

By Christopher Miller

It is a legend as old as time. Well, okay – not that old, but it seems like it when you bring up old Pennsylvania Dutch lore and -isms.

If you are like me you might have walked through your yard at some point on Easter Sunday and noticed very tall, dark green sprouts much taller than the rest of the surrounding grass.

According to the internet, because we all know how accurate that scary place can be, the onion snow refers to a snowfall that occurs after the spring onions have been planted and comes as they are sprouting. Hence the tall green sprouts in my yard causing me to consider cutting the grass.

Because I do not throw all my eggs in one basket (except for Easter egg hunts), I found and compared multiple resources when it comes to the true meaning behind “onion snow.”

Ah, the Farmer’s Almanac! Now there’s a trusty resource almost as old as the United States is a country.

This fantastic resource corroborates the Pennsylvania Dutch story. Either the onion snow is a snowfall that occurs as soon as the onions are sprouting, or it is an indicator for when it is a good time to get them planted.

“It is defined as light and melts quickly, and is usually the final snowfall before the end of the spring season.” How true is that statement? It is Monday night as I write this, there is an inch of snow covering my driveway, and I will be comfortably wearing shorts by the weekend. Sound kooky yet?

So onion snow is very synonymous with the planting season, but have you heard of “sapling bender?”

The sapling bender refers to when it snows heavily in the spring, bending the branches of the new saplings. I feel very bad for the daffodils, lilies, hyacinths and tulips being choked by winter’s revenge right now.

I’ll be honest – I have never thought about growing onions, but I am intrigued.

Chatham Run Feed Mill between Lock Haven and McElhattan was recently advertising spring onion starters, for your information.

Basically from what I am reading, if you can poke a hole in the ground then you can grow an onion.

The quick guide to growing onions from Bonnie Plants recommends planting them as soon as the ground is workable and either in an in-ground garden or raised bed. They should be placed 6” apart in rows that are 12” apart in a sunny spot.

This year we plan on enlarging our garden exponentially. We started this on Saturday by picking up a 3 yard load of mushroom soil (rich organic matter). Farming secrets have told me that this soil type, tilled with the natural ground, is a big key in planting. And it will be a heck of a workout to move and spread it throughout the garden!

The best part of onion growing is the eating. It is a good thing that when it comes to onions, they are edible at almost any size.

So fear not – this snow will be melted before the end of the week.

Get your onions planted soon!