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Climate, Geography and Soils
The Niagara Peninsula below the Niagara escarpment has a moderate climate due to its two natural boundaries - Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. Lake Ontario is a major influence on the climate of the fruit production area because it absorbs vast amounts of heat energy during the summer, releasing it slowly over the winter as long as there is open water. A downhill breeze develops from the top of the Niagara Escarpment creating an airflow pattern that draws warmer air from higher inversion layers. As a result, the lake moderates temperature fluctuations by warming the offshore breezes in winter and cooling the onshore breezes in summer. This moderating influence is important as winter temperatures in the region rarely go below -18oC or greater than 30oC in the summer.
This effect delays the development of the fruit buds in spring, reducing the chance of damage caused by spring frost. The first fall frost is also delayed allowing for a longer growing season and greater heat units late into the season.
The soil types in the Niagara Peninsula below the escarpment also help fruit trees thrive. Soils vary from well-drained sands and gravel type soils to poorly drained silt and clay loam soils. Most of the sand and gravel soils are located near the shore of Lake Ontario, along the Niagara River and in the Pelham area and are suitable for peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots and berry crops. The silt and clay loam soils are more suited to grapes, pears, plums and apples.
In Essex and Kent counties, the proximity to Lake Erie creates moderate winters. Lake Erie is shallow relative to the other Great Lakes and some years, areas of the lake freeze. When the lake freezes, the moderating effect is lost. Approximately once every 10 years, a serious drop in winter temperatures occurs. This can result in significant injury to tender fruit and grapes.
