Grow your own, or at least shop locally grown.

By Lily Randall

Not into knitting or woodcarving? Sad to say goodbye to gardening season? Try this newly legal remedy for winter: homegrown cannabis. 

Though the plant’s outdoor growing season ends in September, with a few pots of dirt and a 400-watt light bulb, you can overwinter it indoors. 

According to Maine law, residents 21 years or older may grow up to three mature cannabis plants. When properly cultivated, one plant can produce 5–15 ounces of weed per year: that’s upwards of $1000 worth of dried flower. Considering that seeds typically sell for $5–$15 each at brick-and-mortar stores like Cannabis Seed Bank of Maine in Farmington or from online retailers like Homegrown Cannabis Co., the investment return is not inconsequential. 

Securing your seeds is just the beginning, though. “Like me, cannabis likes neither wet feet nor to be cold,” says University of Maine extension professor of soil and water quality John Jemison. “Cannabis is adapted to lower water use than many plants, so overwatering can lead to diseases such as Pythium[-induced root rot].”

Read the full story in the digital magazine above.