“Let us declare Nature to be legitimate. The notion of illegal plants is obnoxious and ridiculous in the first place.” ~ Terence McKenna Mama TriedHey Vermont. Spring is just around the corner, and it's time to make plans for growing hemp at home. CBD anyone? I'm offering a workshop in Middlebury to help you get started. When this journey began I was a younger man, a good stretch before hemp and CBD had made the scene. I’ve been an organic gardener for as long as I can remember; food, flowers, herbs, fruit trees, you name it. As a kid in Oregon in the 1970’s - before eradication teams and drones, a little grass in the garden was pretty common. My mom had two plants that grew behind the pole beans. No big whoop. Then a friend visiting from Maui ('75,'76?) taught some of us how to grow unpollinated female flowers - from great big sticky plants. What a concept! Talk about a culture shift. Well, I showed mom and she said it was a big improvement over the previous summer. I didn't imagine that one day I’d use the same techniques to grow all varieties of cannabis legally, and offer a workshop on the cultivation of this gorgeous and enigmatic plant. The idea of hosting a workshop to share cultivation techniques seized me in August last year and wouldn't let go. I had an epiphany; as our budding hemp plants shimmered in the late summer sun and the heady aroma filled the air, the plants spoke to me. I know, I know what you're thinking... but they really did. What struck me is there's so much to enjoy about the whole process from seed to harvest; the plants are that beautiful, and the rewards are many ~ I wanted more of my friends and neighbors to be able to experience this for themselves. Now as adults, we are finally free to choose. What I mean is, the methods to grow hemp CBD flowers are the same you'd use to grow high-grade THC cannabis plants. If that's your thing. Is it really legal to grow hemp, or even marijuana in Vermont?The answer is an emphatic, Yes! And there are a few things you need to know in either case. Since legal cultivation of hemp and adult use of cannabis/marijuana in Vermont is still so new, I've addressed many of the questions you may have about legal and other issues here and here (scroll around to find the sections you're looking for.) Many of you reading this already know the joy and fulfillment - and the savings (!) - of what I’m talking about. I also suspect there are many other adults in my home state, for whom this would be a whole new encounter. Well, you're in good company. I understand some of you may have reservations about growing because this is still so new. I get that. It’s my hope that by offering this workshop to gardeners in a supportive and social setting, it will overcome any lingering doubts. Not to mention, the deep satisfaction you'll experience, and the money you'll save by growing your CBD at home. If you’re familiar with the therapeutic benefits of the cannabis plant, and there are many, and you love to garden, you should definitely consider growing this year. Grow It! nowStarting on February 12, in Middlebury, I’m offering the first in a series of Grow It! Workshops. Other dates so far are Feb 19 and March 5th. The workshop is a fun and informative way to learn to grow outdoor CBD-hemp or adult use cannabis at home. Is the workshop for you?I've organized the workshop as a 3-hour intensive evening class, and as long as you’re 21 years or up, it’s open to everyone, but space is limited. No prior cannabis cultivation experience is necessary. However, since the purpose of the class is to teach how to grow stunning cannabis plants, and not “how to garden”, the Grow It! Workshop is geared for the experienced gardener. If you're not sure how to get started, who to ask, or what you need to grow awe-inspiring, high potency plants, this workshop is for you. At the end of the class you'll have the skills and confidence you need to start growing outdoors this spring, for a bountiful and fragrant fall harvest. By the way, come late summer as your plants are getting bigger and prettier, and the flowers are well formed and fragrant, I’ll hold a follow-up workshop on pollinating for next year's seeds, and making tinctures and other extracts at home. The fun never stops! There are many great ways for creating therapeutic products in your kitchen. Extracts will take you “beyond smoking”, and will introduce you to safe and consistent means of ingestion and dosage using readily available ingredients. I hope this article helps by providing some background of my experience, and what you can expect from the Grow It! Workshop. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and I'll get right back to you. Use the link(s) below. In closing, can you help me spread the word, by sharing this post with your friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or email? Thanks so much, and I hope to see you in class!
11 Comments
Stephen Hambsch
10/2/2019 06:28:32 pm
Hello Netaka, We met about 8 years ago when you visited my farm in Barnard to discuss ambitions to play around with Bio Fuel. Since i went on to raise Heritage Pork and Cattle born on farm in Barnard. The career that has helped me fund my agricultural endeavors is insurance. I wanted to bring to your attention a resource we have that can help farmers who find their existing coverage compromised because their current carrier will not support hemp growing. Many good farm risks are being declined due to this. So, beyond having my own ambitions to dabble in the hemp market changing Hambsch Farm to Hempsh farm...i wanted to share my expertise in insurance in a format that can help local producers...hope you drop me a line and we have the opportunity to spend some time
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Netaka White
10/2/2019 07:55:31 pm
Hello Stephen - nice to hear from you. Can you connect with me at <netaka"AT"takabouthemp"dot"com> I'd like to talk about hemp insurance. Thx!
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11/5/2019 08:18:48 pm
Teaching a class is a great idea. If I lived in Vermont, I would be extremely interested in attending. I hope you had a great turnout and you "students" had great success. Please update me on the successes and if you post a video, please let me know as well. I would be interested in seeing what you have to offer. Thank you!
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Netaka
11/21/2019 12:28:53 pm
Hi Anna - thanks for reaching out. The workshops were a hit, it was very rewarding to see the participants go on to growing beautiful plants... some for the first time. I plan to use my blog this winter to help other growers like you who couldn't make the class
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12/8/2019 09:19:36 am
That is exciting! I would be interested if you add more information our YouTube your workshop. Is that an option to reach those out of your area? 12/17/2019 10:04:46 am
Anna - Thanks again for staying in touch and for your other comments. Regarding the idea of putting the workshops up on YouTube... I've also been thinking of that option, but I haven't yet taken the plunge. I'll be sure to get the word out if I go that route.
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Netaka
8/11/2020 10:07:19 am
Hey there, glad to hear you're enjoying the writing. Thanks for dropping by!
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AuthorI'm Netaka, friends call me Tak ("tock"). I write from Vermont and curate Tak About Hemp. Archives
May 2019
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