Microclimates exist in the natural world, hills, trees, rocks and depressions and so on. Gardeners can also create or use existing human-made microclimates.
A house, other buildings, and fences, on a property, will have a slightly warmer temperature than a spot a few feet away. Heat is one factor but it is important to measure shade as well.
The first step towards creating a microclimate it to determine what, if any, microclimates are already there. The second step is to decide what plants you want to grow and if any of those plants could be grown in the existing microclimates.
If the existing microclimates will not do the job then it is time to plan. Don’t panic, this is simple; a plan helps you stay on track, makes maximum use of your gardening time, is fun and can be changed whenever you desire.
You now know what you want to grow and how much time you are willing to commit to the growing and maintenance. Now you must determine:
1- Where will your garden grow? The backyard most likely but where, well for most cut flowers, herbs and vegetables you want a spot that gets full sun for 5-6 hours a day, minimum.
2- How big will it be? The size depends upon what you want to grow and how much. A good cut flower garden can be fairly small; same for a herb garden. Vegetable gardens do not have to be large to produce a good yield. If this is a first garden select four of your family’s favourite vegetables.
3- Now is the time to do your homework time. You need to know the plants you plant to grow; the public library can be a great source of information as can the Internet. You can also visit a local plant nursery and have a chat with the manager.
4- Put the right plant in the right place and it will thrive.
5- If you are looking to create a microclimate that provides more heat what will you use to achieve this?
Rocks can be placed in order to create a warmer microclimate but unless a rock garden is being planned this can be heavy work. Next week we will look at rock gardens.
Another technique is to build a berm. Berms are mounded hills of soil that serve a number of purposes.
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