managing microclimates
"the big bonanza comes from
evaluating your garden through
a number of seasons to get a
complete microclimate profile."
• Heat-retentive features -Hardscapes like driveways, walls, fences,
decks and patios tend
to make adjacent areas
warmer overnight.
• Windbreaks -- Sheltered
locations somewhat
protected from damaging
wind and driving rain are
more temperate than the
surrounding terrain.
• Orientation -- The
direction your property
faces, based on the
points of the compass,
impacts temperature.
• Shade-producing features
-- Buildings and trees can
create pools or bands of
shade relative to their
directional orientation.
• Topography -- The surface
features of your property,
like depressions where
water pools and frost
lingers, or hilly areas that
are vulnerable to windy
conditions or moisture loss
during hot weather, can
create microclimates.
• Soil conditions -- The soil
composition in different
parts of the garden, like
mulch that provides
insulation, or compacted
soil that retains heat,
impacts temperature.
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Maximum Yield USA | April 2015