10 Reasons Why You Should Grow Outdoor Weed In 2026

10 Reasons Why You Should Grow Outdoor Weed In 2026

If, for any reason, you did not get the opportunity to grow your favorite plant outdoors in 2025, then you don’t need me to tell you that you missed out! Growing indoor cannabis has plenty of perks; however, there is something quite special about growing weed plants outdoors. In this article, I will provide 10 great reasons why you should consider growing cannabis plants outdoors next year.

Reason #1 – Huge Plants

One of the best reasons to produce an outdoor crop is the fact that you can grow huge plants. This year, I was fortunate enough to grow some 3-meter-tall plants that yielded close to 2 kilograms each. Needless to say, I will have plenty of top-quality weed to last me for a long time and comfortably tie me over until next Spring. I am actually using one of the plants to make bubble hash, which is also one of my favorite reasons for growing outdoors!

Reason #2 – Natural Light Schedules

As an indoor grower, we can control the cannabis lighting schedules with most growers flipping their plants after 6-8 weeks of vegetation. One of the great reasons to grow outdoors is that, due to natural light cycles, not only do you not need to worry about a grow timer, your plants will naturally respond to the change in the sunrise and sunset times and transition as Mother Nature intended, giving your plants that extra bit of time you don’t get indoors.

Reason #3 – Long Vegetation Times

When you plant your cannabis seedlings outside in April or May, it is an absolute pleasure to watch them grow into massive, robust and bushy plants. The reason is due to the 3-4 month vegetation period that outdoor plants experience, which, when combined with meticulous cannabis plant training techniques, results in enormous crops when flowering commences.

Reason #4 – Loads of Trim for Hash

If you are a hash maker or love to smoke extracts, then one great reason to grow cannabis plants outdoors is the fact that you end up with an enormous pile of top-quality trim. I don’t think there is anything tastier or better to smoke than hash or extracts made from an organic, sun-grown crop! Suppose you are running different strains simultaneously outdoors. In that case, you are fortunate enough to have bin bags full of hash, resulting in the most phenomenal flavors possible.  It may take you several weeks to blast or wash all the material, but for hardcore hash makers…the more the merrier. 

Reason #5 – Different Strains Using Feminized Seeds

There are many advantages to growing feminized cannabis seeds indoors and outdoors, and the main benefit is that you can efficiently use up all your growing space. Using feminised seeds not only allows you to grow as many of your favorite weed strains as possible, but it also eliminates the concern of removing males, thereby reducing your final plant count and growing only top-shelf buds.

Reason #6 – Practice Cannabis Plant Training

Indoor training of cannabis plants is one way to really take your yields to the next level; however, you may not always get as much time as you need. When growing cannabis outdoors, thanks to the extremely long vegetation period, you have the opportunity to apply all different types of cannabis training techniques ranging from topping, LST, pruning and defoliating, super cropping and fimming. Training your plants over several months is the easiest way to grow absolute monsters that can reach heights of 2-4 meters.

Reason #7 – Great Way To Learn

I find that when you grow weed plants outdoors, you really get to see how a cannabis plant truly responds to its environment. Outdoor-grown cannabis plants are truly something special compared to indoor crops, and watching your seedlings grow from tiny plants into massive bushes is an excellent way to learn about how a cannabis plant truly grows. If you are new to growing, I recommend growing outdoors and practicing plant training techniques, experimenting with organics and learn the ropes that way.

Reason #8 – No Power Cuts

Power cuts can happen unexpectedly, and when they do, an indoor grow room can quickly shut down, potentially for hours at a time in a worst-case scenario. When growing cannabis plants outdoors, you do not need to worry about road works cutting the power off, or any potential blackouts, which only run the risk of hermaphrodite plants. 420Seeds recommends that the most common reason for indoor-grown feminized plants to revert to hermaphroditism is light stress. Even the slightest light leak during the “lights off” period can result in a hermie plant.

Reason #9 – Greenhouses and Polytunnels

Greenhouses or polytunnels offer an additional layer of protection when growing outdoor cannabis plants. The beauty of deciding to grow in a greenhouse or build your own polytunnel is that you can choose the size you want and how many you will have on site. This year, I decided to work with two separate greenhouses, which gave me the peace of mind that they were safe from rainfall and allowed me to add a small heater inside to help combat the colder temperatures that crept in during October. 

Reason #10 – Autoflowering Cannabis

If you have never grown autoflowering cannabis seeds outside, then you are missing out! Autos are fast-flowering and do not depend on light schedules, such as photoperiods. Not only are autos sturdy and tough plants, but they also grow to only around 120-150 cm tall and maintain a low profile. My favorite thing about growing autos outside is that you can easily achieve back-to-back harvests, ensuring you have something new to harvest and smoke every 60-90 days, depending on when you plant the next round.

Feature photo: A greenhouse with one enormous-sized plant inside. Photo credit: Stoney Tark.