My patio exists in a very small microclimate. I can grow plants that others in my zone can’t and they generally overwinter just fine whereas they might fail in a more rural garden. For example, a fuchsia that was growing in a hanging basket came back this year, sprouting tiny little green leaves on otherwise dead looking branches. I was shocked and amazed. Given that I have a bit of a black thumb when it comes to fuchsias, I decided to gift it to someone who I know loves them. On the day I handed it off, tiny leaves now small branches, they told me, “I’ve never heard of a fuchsia coming back the next year.”
So what is it about my patio that makes it a microclimate? What are microclimates and why does it matter?
What are microclimates?
A microclimate is an area that has growing conditions that are different from the larger surrounding zone. The temperatures may be more moderate or more extreme, depending on the area, and may cause some confusion when plants that would normally thrive in your zone, fail, or vice versa.
What impact do microclimates have on gardening?
Knowing if you are in a microclimate will help you plan your garden more efficiently and effectively.
Beneficial aspects of microclimates include earlier starts to growing seasons, longer growing seasons, and the ability to grow or overwinter plants that would otherwise have a difficult time in your zone.
Likewise, negative aspects include delays in growing seasons, shorter growing seasons, and the inability to grow or overwinter plants that are usually hardy in your zone.
Identifying common microclimates
Microclimates can be relatively small, such as a patio garden in the middle of a city. In even smaller terms, a terrarium would be a microclimate because it creates an environment that is different from the surroundings. Large-scale examples include entire valleys, hills, and cities.
In urban areas, things like houses, buildings, greenhouses, and other structures, which hold and radiate heat, can raise the temperature of nearby soil or planting containers. This may protect plants from harsh weather that would otherwise wreak havoc but it also means higher temperatures during the hottest months.
In nature, microclimates are created by large geographical formations such as valleys, hills, mountains, and canyons; the direction of prevailing winds, large bodies of water, and soil composition. Windward sides of a mountains, for example, receive more precipitation than the leeward side due to the orographic effect, which creates a rain shadow.
How to use this information to plan your garden?
A great thing any gardener can do is keep a gardening journal, whether in a book, on a computer, or on your phone. Next time you’re in your garden, jot down the specific features of your surroundings. Do plants on one side of your garden bed grow faster on one side than the other? Did your overwintered fuchsias survive under the eaves of your house? Is your house situated next to a large river or on a high hill? Be sure to pay attention to what other gardeners in your zone are doing as well and when. If everyone has their tomatoes in the ground but you are still waiting on high enough soil temperatures, that could be a sign.
Once you have a better understanding of the landscape, you can pick plants to suite your specific climate and maximize the production of your garden by placing plants in the areas they’ll grow best.
What microclimates do you have in your area and how do they impact your garden plans each year?
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