Spring is calling, and if you’ve been growing outdoors for any length of time you already know the feeling - that itch hits early, even when the days are still short and the nights can bite. Sunlight hours are nowhere near enough yet, frost is still on the cards, and the soil out there is cold and unforgiving. But this exact window is where the serious growers separate themselves. Start smart right now and you’ll walk into summer with stronger plants, heavier buds, and harvests that finish clean before the autumn risks kick in. Here’s the exact playbook I (and plenty of experienced hands) have been running for years.
Genetics for outdoor cultivation
Not all cannabis strains are suitable for outdoor cultivation. If you let nature run wild by letting a few plants flower without any technique, then it is best to choose photosensitive feminized cannabis strains with a short and fast flowering time. Longer-running sativas? They’re not impossible. With an early start and a bit of light management you can push Amnesia Haze or Pure Chocolope all the way to full sun-ripened maturity. The payoff is worth it: huge, resinous colas with that unmistakable outdoor terpene depth you simply don’t get under lights.
Autoflowers - The Discreet Outdoor Workhorses
The high yielding autoflowers from Suzy Seeds are very suitable for an outdoor grow. Their transition to the flowering phase is not dependent on the number of light hours, they flower when they are mature. This is already quite fast and depending on the conditions her life cycle is about 3 months from seed to harvest. Growing cannabis is not everywhere legal, but because the autoflowers remain small you can grow them discreetly.
With the calendar included, it is possible to let them bloom in the most beautiful months of the year. The Bubble Chum Gum Auto and Ed Rosenthal Super Bud Auto are highly recommended for this. The ones that perform best in real gardens are the heavy hitters that still stay manageable in height. Many of us run two or even three waves a season for constant variety and backup supply.
Start early and extend the season
If you want to make optimal use of the outdoor growing season, you will have to start as early as possible. After the second half of April, days in Western Europe last 14 hours and longer. From that time on, the plants can start their growing period outdoors, but the weather often does not allow this. So it is advisable to germinate indoors and to pre-grow the plant, possibly in a grow room. Many growers protect their seedlings behind glass in a sunny spot and give them extra light with a lamp for a few hours after it has already become dark outside.
When the first half of May is over and there is no longer a chance of night frost, the outdoor growing season will really start. If you can then put sturdy young plants outside, you already have a huge head start.
Protect your outdoor plants
When growing outdoors, you are bound by circumstances that are beyond your control. But there are solutions for that too. The temperatures are still low and it is still very humid. The latter is not such a problem for a plant in the growth phase, but with a lot of rain the growing medium becomes too wet and growth stagnates. A greenhouse is then ideal for growing the plants in the early season. The temperature is higher in a greenhouse than outside and the plants are not exposed to the rain.
A greenhouse can also be expanded with extra heating, lighting and ventilation. This way you can create an ideal climate very early in the year. With a DIY shelter you also protect your plants against the rain and with translucent material you prevent that you always have to move the plants to a sunny spot. A small foil greenhouse for tomatoes is also very suitable for pre-growing your outdoor plants.
Darken when growing outdoors
If you get a good early start, the plants will mature early and can begin their flowering phase. Since cannabis plants are light or photosensitive, this means that the plants only start their flowering phase in August (or even later). This is because only then will the number of hours of light have decreased enough for this switch. By placing the plants in the dark for 12 hours, as with an indoor grow, you activate flowering when the conditions are at their best. Once you start darkening, you will have to do this consistently throughout the flowering period. Otherwise, the plant will become stressed or go back to growth.
Darkening the area around the plant can be done in different ways. You can move them to a dark shed. Place the pots on a trolley to roll them in easily. You can also make a tent of light-tight foil that you put over the plant. Darkening can be done in many ways, be creative!
If you start darkening your outdoor plants in mid-July, you only need to do so until mid-August. Then the days are short enough to continue the further flowering. This way you have an extra month for the flowering of your outdoor plants. Which weed to grow outdoors? By darkening the plants, it is possible to grow any variety outside and you reduce the risk of mold and therefore having to harvest too early.
Grow several rounds outdoors
With the above in mind, it is possible to grow multiple rounds per summer with both autoflowers and photosensitive cannabis strains with tolerated numbers. By growing more rounds, you bring more variety to your stock. This way you grow a variety that you like during the day and other varieties for when you want to relax. It also opens up more options for medicinal growers. With a little math it is possible to harvest up to three times from plants grown outdoors. So take advantage of it.
