It’s amazing how quickly the world can change, isn’t it? In the past 25 years, cannabis has moved from an illicit substance relegated to the shadowy corners of the black market to an “essential” industry because of COVID-19. In many states, local cannabis laws allow you to grow your own, and why not? When you grow your own, you can do your own quality control, know the purity of your product, and manage your own supply. Luckily, no matter where you live in the country, you can start your own grow in a container as small as a flower pot. However, cannabis is a picky plant and will need at least four-to-six hours of light each day and a few months to produce its desired cannabinoid goodness, so there is some variability in the growing season depending on where you live.

Before we move on, here are some date ranges to help guide your growing plans. When Spring Equinox comes around, start germinating your seeds. Make sure those plants get outside by Summer Solstice in June, and harvested around Fall Equinox. For more specifics, you’ll need a fortune teller. Better yet, look into a book by celebrated cannabis growers like Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Grower’s Handbook, and of course, every green thumb’s favorite, The Farmer’s Almanac.

For a (shallow-ish) deeper dive into what to expect for your outdoor cannabis grows, here’s a look at optimal grow times for regions across the U.S.

Northwest (Northern CA, OR, WA)

When you plant cannabis in this loamy region you’ll never have to worry about rain. However, mold development and lack of sunshine can make growing outdoors a more difficult proposition.

Early flowering hybrids are great for the northwest region.

Hybrids that flower earlier are suggested as the most successful grows, especially in Washington and Oregon. California plants can be put in the ground earlier due to the region’s warmer weather. Your best clue indicating when it’s time to get your plants outdoors is when daylight hours increase and the temperature starts to warm.

Southwest (Southern CA, NV, AZ, NM, CO)

If you choose to grow your plants outside in this scorching climate, be prepared to pay attention to the temperature, where highs that regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit will slow your plant’s growth. Sativas and sativa-dominant hybrids do well in this environment because of their lineage tracing back to the equator, where the weather is uniformly hot. Before moving your plants outdoors, make sure the last frost has passed

Midwest (IL, MI, Eastern CO)

This region is tricky because the weather is highly variable; rainy and muggy, and/or hot and dry. Winter may come early to this region, so choosing an indica-dominant hybrid strain might be your best bet for growing outdoors since its flowering time is shorter. Try to shoot for germination after the final frost of spring has passed in these regions.

Northeast (NY, MA, PA, NJ, ME, VT)

With its rich soils and abundance of water, the northeast region can be a great place to cultivate cannabis outdoors, especially if you choose an early harvest strain that can finish up before fall kicks in. Best time to move your plants outdoors in this region is the middle of April, when days are longer.

Southeast (FL)

The temperatures in Florida might be good for cannabis growing, but the humidity definitely is not.

High humidity can cause issues for growing cannabis in places like Florida.

In fact, because of all that moisture in the air, it’s best to avoid indica strains and grow sativas instead to avoid the mold that inevitably comes along with humidity. In this region, you could start the germination process as early as February. Just make sure that the last frost has passed before moving your plants outside.

Of course, there are many different factors that go into the timing of an outdoor grow. Use these estimates as rough guidelines and adjust as needed. Happy growing!

Photo Credit: Terre di Cannabis (license)

Source: https://damweed.com/growing/whats-the-best-time-to-start-an-outdoor-cannabis-grow/