Sun Grown, Seed Sown
We live in a special part of the country where it is possible to grow full season cannabis outside in the sun. This is one of the reasons why cannabis cultivation has become a heritage tradition in the Emerald Triangle. We choose to honor the plant and our land by following the natural rhythm of the sun, moon, and the seasons.
Many cultivators choose to grow their plants from clones- this style can lend to a more consistent final product. We choose to grow from seeds- the plants are stronger and more pest resistant when grown from seed without growth hormones. Each seed is a little bit different which creates more variation in our flowers. We love the diversity!
Hugelkulture: building our own soil
We choose to build our soil instead of buying it. It is a lot of work, but this way we know what is in it and everything comes from our farm or nearby. Its all part of a closed loop system. We clean the dead trees from our forest (which are a fire hazard), we layer that with native soil and manure from our animals, and we mulch to hold the moisture in the ground to save on our water use. It's a beautiful thing!
How to build a hugel:
1. Gather (preferably dead) branches and and limbs. This doubles as fire prevention and forest management! Lay down a thick layer as seen below.
3. After your soil lense is down, add a layer of straw. 4. Next apply a thick layer of compost. We found a source of local organic aged manure- not as good as compost but pretty good.
2. Get out your shovel and dig up native soil (we took from the aisle next to the beds) and layer on top of the sticks. This is your soil lense.
5. Last, a thick layer of mulch.
The girls are lookin' great!
In the Ground
We are also growing straight up in the ground which is so dang natural. Our soil has a lot of clay in it which works with our value of being water conservative! The ground holds water almost like a clay pot-- because of this, our plants don't require much water.
Fermented Plant Extracts
How gorgeous is this pic? We use our own garden to provide added nutrition to our crop. The garden is naturally in balance and we find what we need. No need to go to the store and way more fun, beautiful, energy conscious, and economical.
