That time of year again folks. Time to get outside when it warms up and get some stuff ready, then look out the window for a week because the temps went back down to the 20's.
A little background first is in order. I've been growing outdoors since I was a kid in the 90's. My first outdoor plants were clones from my very first indoor plants from the previous winter. Straight gas they were, like kerosene. I have no idea what it was, just some bag seed. That's when I found out that deer love to eat weed right when its about to be harvested. At first you think someone took your plants, then you see chewed up buds covered in deer spit all over the ground.
Heartbreaking when you're 14...
Next season it was 5 or 6 different spots. One on a cliff overlooking the river. All but one got found. Eventually I had kids and had to stop growing for a while. Picked it up again with a retired buddy who needed help on a huge house grow. Now my kids are older, and weed is legal in New York.... so I grow in my own backyard!
First season I started late because I wasn't sure if the wife would be cool with a few plants in the back yard, and our youngest was still only 13. We settled on 2 small plants out in the corner of the yard. One " Candy Kush", and one "Blue Cheese" both clones from the grow I just left. They did fantastic until October when, wouldn't ya know it, the deer ate them. You'd think I would have learned and remembered that lesson. Nope! One pic of that grow
So.. I built a fence the following year
We did ok that season. Lost a few plants to botrytis. So I kept looking for mold resistant strains that winter, and in the spring I transformed my outdoor space. My backyard is on a bit of an incline. So much so that I had to dig a wedge into it to get the pool to sit flat. So I thought... why not dig the garden out like that? Now I can grow bigger plants and still not see them from the road! Ball breaking work, but it was worth it.
I plan to make a few more raised beds for some other veggies, but most importantly build a canopy over my outdoor crop. The rain in late September early October absolutely trashes my yeild. Last season I started building some fantasy ewok style lean-to cannabis pavilion? I had double hernia surgery in early september, so the roof went unfinished. As did most of my defoliation. It hurt to reach my arms out in front of me for too long. And you'd be surprised how much your back hurts when you can't use your core. Excuses excuses, I know.
Picked up a bunch of big tomato cages too for $3 each!
I'll be starting my outdoor tomato's, Cucumbers, Beets, corn, sunflowers, squash and Watermelon this week. All cannabis plants will be from clone.
