Microclimates 101

A microclimate can affect your gardening in the same way that growing zones can. While growing zones are important to know, microclimates are what really make a difference in what you can grow in your garden and what you can’t. A microclimate is a localized climate condition within your growing zone that influences how plants grow.

Things that affect microclimates

• topography
  • cold air sinks and dips in elevation, even within someones own yard, can greatly affect the plants in those areas
• vegetation
  • tree canopies that provide shade and reduce sunlight can affect temperature and humidity to the plants nearby
  • wind patterns that are blocked or enhanced by plants can also have an affect
• proximity to bodies of water, windows, concrete etc
  • the air near bodies of water tends to be slightly cooler than other places
  • windows can redirect light and heat onto plants
  • concrete and stone can also create heat and reflect that onto nearby plants
• arrangement of buildings, fences and other structures nearby
  • shade = cooler. Colors of fences and structures can also make a difference in heat and reflection

How to determine your microclimate

Observation is the short answer. Pay attention as you’re walking around your yard and garden. Are there low spots that can feel a little cooler? Notice when the wind blows, how it moves throughout your yard. Pay attention to plants that may be near a window or concrete and how hot days affect them in relation to other plants that do not have those nearby.

In my own yard, I have a big change in elevation throughout. As I’m mowing the lawn, I can feel a significant temperature difference as I dip into the cooler areas that are a bit lower in elevation. When deciding where to plant my fruit trees, I kept this in mind because I know certain trees would struggle in these cooler areas.

As you’re planting and gardening, keep your own microclimate in mind, especially when choosing where to place trees, raised beds, and flowers and shrubs. A potted plant on your porch has a different microclimate than one in the middle of your grass. If you have a plant or flower that isn’t doing well, maybe observe the microclimate of that little area and see if that could be the problem.