Homegrow LI

I took a trip out to the East End of Long Island to meet and chat with the Homegrow LI family.

Forerunners of the home-grown movement, their mission is to ensure the Long Island community has access to high quality organic flower right at home – fresher and cleaner than anything you’ll find in a dispensary (and a fraction of the cost!)

After mastering the art of picturesque and delectable flower, Homegrow LI has created a network and educational space containing a series of self-written articles guiding first-time novices to well-seasoned experts through the entire process of seed to finished cured product.  

That said, Homegrow LI has an operation out of my best fantasy fever-dream.

I arrive and greeted by the ever-stunning Mrs. Homegrow just finishing watering her beautiful outdoor seaside garden surrounded by their well-fed leashed cats. It felt like a real-life depiction of Snow White.

Mr. Homegrow handles the indoor plants. The organization, cleanliness, knowledge, and overall experience was unmatched to anything I’ve seen in my decade of cannabis. It’s clear to me why the buds Homegrow produces are meticulously hand trimmed, deep coated with trichomes, with damn near perfect in structure - truly my opinion of what is boutique and craft cannabis. 

1. What made you start growing your own cannabis?

I started growing back in 2010 when I became tired of paying $60 an eighth for shitty weed. After doing extensive research, which included scouring Borders Book & Music for cannabis growing materials and hiding in corners to read them like I was some sort of clandestine criminal, I decided I was committed to the cause. From there I wound up on the growing forums and absorbed every single article and YouTube video tutorial that was available on the internet. I began with a micro-grow that I built into a cabinet dresser and absurdly decided it would be a perpetual harvest setup complete with clones and mother plants. I was itching to use all of the knowledge I had picked up even if my growing space was less than practical. My first harvest was one ounce of fluffy boof that I grew with CFL bulbs. And it was amazing. 

2. I notice you both have figured out how to successfully grow beautiful plants outdoors and indoors, why do you choose to grow your cannabis indoors? Have you ever tried growing outdoors? 

My indoor growing obsession was initially fueled by the need to hide my passion due to arcane, absurd laws, and has honestly stuck with me to this day because of the stigmas still associated with growing this plant. The lack of privacy and sufficient outdoor space in the suburbs keeps me inside even though I would absolutely love to grow outdoors. And to be completely transparent, even though it may not be as environmentally friendly, I am completely obsessed with grow lights, setting up ventilation systems, and having complete control over creating a perfectly dialed-in environment. I've played around with putting some plants outside but usually wind up giving them to friends when I inevitably neglect them in favor of their indoor brethren. 

3. Without giving away any secrets, what would you say is your claim to fame? Why do you think all your strains burst & slap with scent out of the jar?

There are generally two camps in the cannabis growing world: organic growers and synthetic nutrient growers. I have friends who do both very well and I respect the hell out of all of them. With that said, I've always been a fully organic grower and am kind of a nerd about fertilizer. I spend money on single-input dry amendments the way that some women spend money on shoes. I never have enough. I geek out on alfalfa, crab meal, earthworm castings, neem meal, fish bone meal, kelp, and compost. Gonna stop myself there but my point is that I think there's definitely something to creating a thriving microbiome where beneficial fungi and bacteria break down organic matter into plant-usable elements that really helps plant terpenes shine.

4. When do you think cannabis is best served for consumption? 

If you're asking about when it's best served after harvest, I generally think a two week hang dry followed by at least a two week cure is where the magic happens. I love fresh weed. Some people swear by leaving cannabis in a jar for 6 months to cure but to me it's best served fresh within a few months of the harvest date. Of course it's still perfectly fine and lovely to use after that point, and I'm probably a bit spoiled with my seemingly infinite supply of weed, but I'm all about the fresh stuff. 

5. Do you think it’s important for craft & small cannabis to be represented in a legal market? Why?

Generally speaking, yes. I really feel like small batch craft cannabis is the pinnacle of what cannabis should be. In fact, I feel like it's where agriculture as a whole should be. Our current dystopian society fed by centralized EVERYTHING is a major contributing factor to many of the ills of society in my opinion. We could be a society of many micro-communities growing food, raising livestock, and working with each other to satisfy the needs and desires of all communities, but instead, we have whatever the hell you call what we have. 

I may be getting sidetracked here. Sorry (LOL). In my ideal version of a true free and fair market, there would ONLY be small craft growers. There's no reason that we should have large multi-state corporations moving into every newly emerging market in the entire country and vulturizing all of the potential economic benefits for the many talented people that already live in those areas. And there's no reason that any one grower needs to be producing hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds of cannabis when we could all get a share of the pie by creating an equitable market with room for everyone who is truly passionate about this plant to thrive and meet all of their needs.

Written with Homegrow approval on June 9,  2023