Soil can be greatly impacted by microclimates. Sun and wind can dry out soils quickly. Sun and water can remove nutrition from soils if they aren’t protected. Frosts or hot days can impact root systems if soil is not protected. There are simple ways to create beneficial microclimates to protect soil. For instance, keeping soil covered with vegetation or mulch can greatly enhance the moisture retention capabilities of soil and moderate temperature changes.
Wet clay soil will support very different plant life than dry sandy soil. These qualities can be changed with microclimates. Building soil can be the base of creating a microclimate conducive to growing food forests. We’ll cover much more about this in the sections on soils and growing food.