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Thread: Micro Climates

  1. #1

    Default Micro Climates

    MICRO CLIMATE

    Micro climate as been an interest of mine and have been developing my property giving it full consideration. I searched properties for several years checking them throughout seasons to find the best weather I could find locally. I get more sun and it can be raining for hundred miles in each direction. The only wind I get blows from the south. I built my house and instead of squaring it with property lines I oriented it to the sun. When I cleared land I left trees in a pattern to create various climates for growing and when I pushed up stumps with bull dozer I took the time to grade the property so sun would reflect off snow onto house kind of like a big solar reflector. My hot spots are easy to locate because the snow melts there first. I’m no scientist or really that good a gardener so I would be interested if any have thought or tried things along these lines. I pay attention to it in the woods too. The back sides of mountains seem to covered with devils club and the terrain seem steeper. My guess is more sun on southern increases temperature changes cracking rock making it more vulnerable to erosion. That’s just my theory and may be completely wrong I just enjoy pondering it a reaping the benefits when things play out right. I have seen where Indians had a passive form of agriculture that would improve the natural environment for growing native plants. Things like cutting a tree branch that was shading an area or diverting a stream and the like to improve growing environment. Any experience or thoughts?


  2. #2
    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    A lot of areas have micro climates. I live in one, during this last winter areas no more than 7 miles away had nearly 10inches of snow, there was hardly a flake here. I can't go as far as you have with regard to creating a mico climate, but when I first moved here, I chose the area of garden that gets sun practically all day for the veg garden. The girls house is in a more sheltered position and is shaded most of the day. The biggest problem for the garden is wind, a light breeze 200yds up the road is a strong wind in the garden. There's very little to stop it regardless from which direction it comes. I'm thinking of growing some Jerualem Artichokes or Sunflowers to act as a windbreak during the growing season. I think if you take notice of your very local weather, you can certainly make your life easier and and more comfortable.
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    Hall Monitor Pal334's Avatar
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    I like your idea of using the snow field as a reflector for the house. Does it make enough of a difference for you to notice? and it sounds like the "shaping" of your terrain makes alot of sense. I have not thought it through as you have but it does seem to make good use of your location.

    Thanks for the food for thought
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pal334 View Post
    I like your idea of using the snow field as a reflector for the house. Does it make enough of a difference for you to notice? and it sounds like the "shaping" of your terrain makes alot of sense. I have not thought it through as you have but it does seem to make good use of your location.

    Thanks for the food for thought
    I still have 3 feet of snow on the ground and it's in the 20's but I can spend a couple of hours on my back deck at the peak of day in a T shirt. I start my garden there in the spring. I'm contemplating building a small attached green house there after I pay my taxes. Also note I painted my house a dark color to turn light into heat.

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    Lumpy chair made me do it oly's Avatar
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    Here is some info. on passive heating and cooling you may be interested in.
    http://images.google.com/images?um=1...art=21&ndsp=21
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  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by oly View Post
    Here is some info. on passive heating and cooling you may be interested in.
    http://images.google.com/images?um=1...art=21&ndsp=21
    Good stuff! Thanks!

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    Hall Monitor Pal334's Avatar
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    Do you think that you could maximize the reflected light by making part of that wall a stone face, sort of like a heat sink? I am sure every little bit does help with the temperatures you get.
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    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    From experience Pal, your idea would work. My house is made of stone and the south facing wall definitely has it's own micro climate. The snow melts there first and the plants growing in that border are always the first to shoot. It doesn't take much sun to heat the wall up either.
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    Senior Member erunkiswldrnssurvival's Avatar
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    in the mountains snow reflects enough to raise temps 20 or more degrees. tall buildings effect local temps, and also water ways influence temps. cold spots form where calm air can settle. great thread!
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    Hall Monitor Pal334's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Winnie View Post
    From experience Pal, your idea would work. My house is made of stone and the south facing wall definitely has it's own micro climate. The snow melts there first and the plants growing in that border are always the first to shoot. It doesn't take much sun to heat the wall up either.
    And that should help heating the house (I would think). This thread is a good reminder on how to make the sun work for you
    .45 ACP Because shooting twice is silly... The avatar says it all,.45 because there isn't a.46

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  11. #11

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    I know that when we are out in the woods in Spring that the temperature can be 10 degrees cooler in the same latitude. Because, the concrete and asphalt absorb heat during the day.

    That's not 10 degrees near the asphalt and concrete. That's 10 degrees at all of the weather stations.

  12. #12

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    I never considered creating micro climes but I do seek out natural ones for hunting mushrooms and such. Areas that warm first, get more snow or moisture from dew etc., less frost or wind, etc.

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    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pal334 View Post
    And that should help heating the house (I would think). This thread is a good reminder on how to make the sun work for you
    If the walls weren't two feet thick, it probably would. The house is lovely and cool in the summer though
    Recession; A period when you go without something your Grandparents never heard of.

  14. #14

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    We built our house and located our gardens/etc according to the sun as well; this together with a basement that is 70% underground - the natural warming and cooling of the sun/shade and the natural insulation of the basement has made the house significantly more efficient.

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    missing in action trax's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kemek View Post
    We built our house and located our gardens/etc according to the sun as well; this together with a basement that is 70% underground - the natural warming and cooling of the sun/shade and the natural insulation of the basement has made the house significantly more efficient.
    We generally consider introducing ones'self the height of efficiency here in WSF's little micro-climate, gives us a better idea of who we're talking to, welcome to the forums in the meantime kemek.
    some fella confronted me the other day and asked "What's your problem?" So I told him, "I don't have a problem I am a problem"

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    Thanks Trax. Just another wilderness/survival enthusiast. Raised in the mountains of southern West Virginia - took a break for college in PA and then a decade in the bright lights of New York City. Now I'm back in my hometown and spending as much time as I can in the out-of-doors. By default, when you grow up in the country, you learn the basics while hunting or camping or fishing or hiking, etc. But I'm now interested in learning some more Army Ranger level survival stuff, so I'm checking out forums and training, etc. That's pretty much the story, morning glory. Glad to be here...

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    walk lightly on the earth wildWoman's Avatar
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    Planning a homestead around its micro climate is the smart thing to do. Our prevailing winds in the summer come from the south and are pretty chilly. We have located our garden on a gentle, southfacing slope, at an elevation about 6' higher than the lake (cold air settles at the low spots). Thanks to the busy work of beavers, there are no tall trees that would shade out the sun between the garden and the lake, but instead a grove of young, bushy poplars, around 7' tall. These block out the wind almost completely. Even when it's cold elsewhere on our property, as long as the sun is out, the garden is always toasty.
    Our cabin is completely sheltered to the north by a hill, which blocks out the north wind we get in the winter (unfortunately, it blocks most of the northern lights too). The cabin has only one small window facing north but four large windows facing south. In March, when nights can still be in the -20s and daylight is already at twelve hours, we don't have to heat during the day anymore when it's sunny because the cabin heats up so much. Drawback in the summer: because of the way the cabin is built, the eaves don't cast shade over the windows, so we have to close the curtains and leave the door open.
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    Just walk across an area that was converted into a huge parking lot. All that black top certainly does make it hotter in that area.

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    I completely missed this thread. Micro climates are important considerations especially when food plants are involved. I removed a 30 foot maple so it wouldn't compete with my garden and I didn't want to have limbs dropping on the house. Remember that the root system on trees are roughly the size of the tree tops. If it extends over your garden then the roots are beneath your garden and robbing it of water your food plants need. Move the tree or the garden.

    Micro climates inside are important considerations as well. My stone fireplace radiates heat long after the fire is out. My south facing windows have the curtains open in the afternoon to pick up heat from the sun while the north facing windows are not.
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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Our cabin "The Place" was planned from the start as an earth bermed south facing "earth ship".

    The property was found that satisfied the southern orientation hillside.
    We ended up with a log cabin as we didn't want a mortgage, and wanted it now.
    Besides I always wanted a log cabin.

    I did have the front facing south/southeast w/15 degrees, for max morning sun and tipped away in the afternoon.

    Southwest wind is normal and has a nice breast for summer cooling.
    Large porch shades in the summer, allow some sun in as the sun gets lower in the sky during the winter.

    Shade trees planted to the east and west as shade and wind break.

    If you can ever find the book "Owner Built Home" by Ken Kern has a lot of in-depth ideas and methods to allow nature to help you heat and cool.
    He was big in the "back to the land", hippie movement in the 70"s and early 80's.

    My copy has been "borrowed" some time ago, and the book in out of print, with used copies selling for $60 bucks......
    If I find another copy I would buy it again......Worth the money.
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