I see a lot of
books and people suggest to look around your property to find the various microclimates. But, there's never much description or tips for how to determine the microclimates, other than looking for places that accumulate frost vs. have snow melt sooner. But, on my property, because of the
trees surrounding it, and being on a north-facing slope, the places that thaw first aren't necessarily the ones that are warmer in the summer. Today, as I was wandering around my property, I noticed that I have
dandelions EVERYWHERE, and they're really good indicators of what areas warm up sooner vs. later. Some have already gone to
seed, and some are just finishing blooming. For me, these dandelions are better indicators that frost. I think any flower/plant/weed that's everywhere on your property is a really good indicator of microclimates. Today, I found two places that had a ripe, first salmonberry of the season. The rest of my salmonberries are still green or blooming. The places where these salmonberries ripen first are probably my warm microclimates!
I thought I'd start a
thread where we can all contribute our tips for finding microclimates, and we can make it into one beautiful, helpful list. Thus far I have:
Indications of Microclimates:
Frost settles in an area=colder, later for annuals to start up, might be good for cool season crops like spinach.Snow/frost melts sooner=Warmer area, soil might warm up sooner in the spring. Good place for trees that are sensitive to frostDandelions bloom/go to seed earlier=a place to grow food you want to start and ripen sooner.Dandelions later to bloom and go to seed=a place for those cool season crops and things you don't want bolting.Snow melts later due to tall/distant shade but otherwise a "normal" spot=a place for fruit that you want to delay blooming a bit.Trees form microclimates of their own, especially when leafed out. They will be more humid and cooler. In old growth Redwoods that can take 20f off the extreme highs and lows and 30% greater humidity. Also, where you are under the tree will drastically vary the amount of nutrient rich runoff a plant there receives. The base and drop line are vastly moister than in between at the surface.
I made this a Wiki that anyone can edit so we can add new tips, as well as discuss them below! Please share your tips!