Growing cannabis outdoors all year round – Food Forest Permaculture

It’s early September and while most people wouldn’t worry, some are preparing for the growing season. Take, for example, the founder of Food Forest Permaculture; Howie is an extremely talented gardener, especially when it comes to growing cannabis outdoors. For him it’s a year-round process … there is no off-season. If nothing is planting, he prepares the soil and the surrounding area. While this may seem strange, Howie is doing something right; You can see the evidence in the plants. Whether you’re looking to start growing or already have a harvest, here are some great tips for year-round outdoor cannabis growing from Food Forest Permaculture.

September to November

Ensure success by setting up your soil for growing healthy cannabis plants

It’s pretty simple: you can’t grow good bud without good soil, but what exactly does that mean? For Howie, the best soil and system is organic, no-till, and inexpensive; he calls it a “path floor bench”. It’s basically a nutrient dense plant nursery that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. By layering organic matter like compost, wood chips, and kitchen scraps, he creates and plants cannabis on mounds of black gold. As soon as the plants of the last few years are harvested, he starts preparing the soil.

November to January

Use of cannabis seeds and sprouts

Instead of using clones, Howie starts with seeds. Remember, he is very own and grows the seeds he plants. If using cloning works for you, keep doing what you do.

Howie sprouts the cannabis seeds and makes them grow a few inches high. As soon as they are big enough, he plants them outdoors, usually in December or January. In order for the sprouts to survive and then thrive outdoors, the airflow must be perfect; too little mold forms and too much damages the plant sprouts. In addition, the temperature changes bring their own challenges. Howie does it by doing a couple of things:

• Put cedar shavings on the ground before planting the sprouts. This will help support the first inch of the cannabis germ while isolating the soil. Block the wind and control airflow by planting complementary plants nearby.
• In BC, frost is a problem above the ground, but it doesn’t invade underneath (sorry Ontario). When the weather turns bad, Howie builds a mini greenhouse or moisture dome with a mason jar or water glass. He sets the jar aside by placing the lid on a stone or stick; In this way, the glass sits slightly tilted over the cannabis germ, which allows air to circulate.

This picture was taken by Reddit and is meant to show you one way to create a moisture dome. This plant was not grown by Howie.

Year-round tips for growing cannabis outdoors

Protect your plants with other plants

When growing cannabis outdoors, one of the biggest challenges is keeping the cannabis plants safe from outside pollen and mold. Discretion can be another issue, especially when it comes to theft prevention. To meet these challenges, Howie grows other types of plants that complement his cannabis crop. Surround your cannabis garden with larger plants and shrubs. Organic foods like berry bushes and fruit trees are great choices to add to your cannabis garden. These plants grow to sizes and shapes that can block the wind and prying eyes while still allowing airflow.

Howie from Food Forest Permaculture points out the height of cannabis plants and explains how its plants protect each other. Note the surrounding fig trees, raspberries, and rose bushes.

Year-round insect control

Chickens and ducks

Of all the tips he had to share, this one was my all-time favorite: use chickens and ducks to control insects.

• Flight ducks love to eat snails and will rummage through your yard to find them.
• A win-win for you and the chickens – insects and nudibranchs are a huge part of the natural diet of chickens, so your poultry can live their best lives. Plus, you get organic, chemical-free pest control and lots of free range eggs.

For many, it seems too difficult to grow good cannabis, especially outdoors. If we can rephrase our outlook and start enjoying it, the results can be incredible. Remember, they call it grass for a reason …

The author would like to thank Howie of Food Forest Permaculture for sharing his knowledge and expertise in growing cannabis outdoors all year round.