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In eight days, I will start feminized seeds directly into five of my beds, while at the same time, starting seeds in my cottage to fill the other beds. I have several regular seed cultivars to start and I’m also starting backups for each and every feminized seed that I start in a bed. So if anything fails in one of the beds, I’ll have another feminized start that is at a similar stage of development. If I have leftover small plants at planting time, those starts will go to some lucky friends that want them.

We are debating whether we should grow twelve or thirteen plants this year. I’m leaning toward a nice, clean 12, that are all in our beds. The cannabis beds, as pictured above, are the far left row and the middle row. The vegetable beds are the entire L shaped row around those two rows. We’ll also grow additional vegetables in the aviary, after our raspberries are finished. They are the first fruit to pick here. Cucumbers do nicely in their soil for late summer and fall.

We’re considering trying to grow another plant in the aviary soil, like we did last year, but with a key variation. The spot in the aviary is quite soil rich, but it is light poor. It has a very brief window of ideal growth. Supplemental outdoor lighting is the only way we can fool a cannabis plant to grow in that spot. Even then, it loses light so early in the year, it is prone to pathogenic attack while it flowers late in the season, in the shade, no matter how much preventative spraying. Mold at that level is not spot, it is systemic. 

So, we’re thinking about growing there again, and trying to use supplemental lighting in a proactive fashion to induce early flowering from a plant in that spot before it gets too shady. This is feeling like a project for another year, when we can really focus on it, as opposed to it just being one of thirteen plants in the grow. 

So I’m leaning toward twelve this year. It’s the first year since 2020 that we’ve been able to use all twelve of our primary cannabis beds. The tree next door had gotten too big and it blocked light for at least three of the beds we’re going to use. But it was surprisingly and mercifully pruned last year. This year, I expect to have all 22 beds filled with either cannabis or some kind of food.

As you can see, we already have edible miner’s lettuce growing in abundance under the canopy of the buckeye. This was a food staple for the Miwoks who lived and farmed here for tens of thousands of years. I like to pick a few leaves for sandwiches.

Special thought is being put into vegetables this year, because of the cost of food in stores. Our goal is to grow enough food for many months of eating, while at the same time, storing excess for winter. Last year, I wasted a bed on tomatillos. It was a waste, because tomatillos are not self pollinating. They require two plants to produce fruit. This year, we’ll be growing two tomatillos and it will be one source for fresh salsas. The other will be the tomatoes I’ll be growing. Probably three or four kinds of tomatoes, including the heirlooms Czech Stupice, Russian Black Krim, and probably a Sungold for cherry tomatoes. Perhaps two of those, because I really like lots of fresh cherry tomatoes in my guacamole. 

If this sounds like more than two people can consume, you’re correct. But we’ll share our bounty with our family, neighbors and friends; especially those in need, or who can’t grow. For the people we provide cannabis, we like to make our garden available for them to pick food. One person in particular who is a 24/7 caretaker for over five years now, we try to make sure she can come when no one is here, so she can have some moments of peace and solitude while she picks. A garden is a very healing place. I encourage others to grow their own food in these times.

Here come the poppies!

Given how much I love to grow everything, and not just cannabis, 2025 has me excited. In particular, I’m anticipating cannabis this year. I have cultivars to replenish, sick people to grow for, and as a special bonus, I’m hoping for a year of varietal colors from some of the flowers. I am purposefully growing strains with colorful potential.

To that end, I’ll be planting Purple Punch and Cherry Punch for the first time. Another first timer is Special Queen #1, and then, there’s Giant White Haze, which isn’t colorful, per se, but is legendary for size of plant and yield. Sativa, anyone? There will also be another Royal Kush feminized.

From regular seeds, there will be Fruitcake, because we need to grow a larger version of the purple flowers we grew last year. I look forward to testing this plant. The plant I grew last year was too small to waste on testing, but it has been one of our favorites to take single bong rips. It is a fantastic strain, highly recommended, and definitely one of the most beautiful that we’ve grown to date. Honestly, if we get two females this year, we’re going to grow them both. It’s a special cultivar.

We’ll also be cracking open Roze, AK47, the West Marin Mystery, and one test verified CBD producing plant, Honey Tsu. Based on last year, both Bee and I would like to grow more S. Thai. We’re curious if we can break the 4% terpene total that we nearly achieved last year. There are other possibilities that might crop up when we start, but those are the main plants.

Honey-Tsu from Humboldt Seeds: Legitimate CBD medicine. Test verified.

When I look around the beds and all over our property, I see the reemergence of our permaculture. Companion plants are sprouting. Borage is poking through straw and starting to sprout between our beds. For now, I’ll transplant a few of those to beds, but some, especially the later season sprouts, will be allowed to remain. These plants are how our garden protects itself.

If you read my blogs, you know I’m a weather nerd. This is our third straight heavier than normal winter of rain. To get three straight years of above normal rain means our environment is operating at peak efficiency. Once more, I will be able to use the least amount of water possible for my plants. Once all the tap roots find the mycorrhizal network beneath my garden, I barely water at all.

There is a common incorrect perception about California from people who’ve never been here. People assume that the weather in California is dry and sunny. The southern portion of the state fits that description, because it is largely a desert environment that went all the way to the sea. 

But Northern California is completely different. We are mountains and streams all the way to the sea. We get lots of rain. Even when the news media was screaming of the drought in California, in our little rain zone on the North Coast, we were not having drought problems. We average over 40 inches of rain every year. Southern California doesn’t average even half of that.

The last three years on my farm we’ve averaged well over 40 inches each year. This allows our entire ecosystem to replenish annually. We’ve had drought years, too. But when it rains here, it usually rains a lot.

The favas are cut and covered. The worms have been given license to do their work. Some weeding still remains between beds, but other than that, everything is ready for the grow to begin. We’ve had a very wet winter and early spring (over 47 inches and counting), with more rain to come. I will not have to water much this year. I know how crazy that sounds to cannabis growers, but around here, it’s true. I understand and fully appreciate how unique my situation is, and I wonder how many others could grow exactly the way I grow. My guess is more than I can imagine, though many are probably not aware that they could. Mycorrhizal networks abound. Before living and growing here, I had never heard of such a network, let alone understand the magical potential of growing where you have all the water and fungus you need in the ground to grow well. 

After three straight above normal wet winters, I can’t wait to begin hovering and fretting over my plants. 

Wonder where this year’s grow will take me? 

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Or contact me directly with your idea (good seeds are always welcome–and if I grow them, I will get the flowers tested and share with you the results.)

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