What is a Microclimate?
When it comes to gardening, we have all heard the term ‘climate zone’ in reference to our region that provides information on what kind of plants we can grow and how temperatures affect our gardens. You can go online, look up which zone you are in, and get crop lists, average frost dates, average yearly rainfall statistics, and planting calendars. Knowing your climate zone well is an essential tool in learning to garden. So, we know about our climate zone and have been using that as a reference to guide us. In that light, what does ‘microclimate’ mean? Why is it important?
A woman tends to peppers in a temperature-controlled greenhouse.
While your climate zone refers to a much larger region you live in, a microclimate is specific to your exact location. Many of us living in the Bay Area are well-versed in microclimate knowledge due to our temperate and diverse weather patterns. However, microclimates exist everywhere. It may be seventy-five degrees in the city you live in on any given day, but your microclimate in your garden is not created solely by temperature. Microclimates are a culmination of temperatures, wind patterns, hills, surrounding buildings and structures, local pests and animals, sunlight, and any aspect of the immediate environment that could affect your growing plants. Understanding your particular microclimate is essential to good gardening.
A large tree creates a shaded area in a suburban garden.
Two gardeners working in a rooftop urban farm.
How do these different things affect microclimates? For starters: hills can shift wind patterns, buildings and structures can impact the amount of light your garden receives, temperatures can change depending on elevation, local pests and animals inform what beneficial insects are near, and the unique landscape of your actual space can affect your garden design. Considering every aspect of how your garden will function in its’ given microclimate will ultimately give you a much greater sense of how to plan and create your growing space.
A woman tends to her cabbages with a potato harvest beside her.
For example, let’s say you live in a busy downtown area with a lot of buildings that block out all the morning sunlight and shift the wind creating breezy afternoons. Let’s say you live in a generally warm area with a big backyard and plenty of sunshine all day long, but there are no buildings or trees to provide any shade in your space. Let’s say you live in an apartment in a cold, rainy town with only a balcony for outdoor space that gets hit with morning sun only. You would have to consider all of these conditions when planning where to plant your garden. Understanding your unique microclimate leads to better, efficient decision making and will lead to fantastic gardening results.
A man transplanting on a balcony in an urban area.
To better understand your own microclimate, start by taking note of all the conditions your space has to offer. Take note of the hours of sunlight you get, if it ever gets windy, if there’s shade created by surrounding buildings… take note of it all. The more you notice and learn about your space, the better you will know your microclimate. For more information on all things microclimates, check out Golden Gate Gardening by Pam Pierce, one of the many local Bay Area gardening goddesses.