CANADA'S NEW OUTDOOR STRAINS

Well, it’s that time of year again. Spring is right around the corner, and growers everywhere are pondering this year’s outdoor crop: where to plant, what to sow—the possibilities are endless. Here’s a little peek at some of what’s going down on Canada’s west coast. And, as always, these BC strains look tasty.

Story & Photos by Jay Generation

Welcome to Secret Valley, British Columbia. Out here in the hills of BC, you’ll find many hidden valleys and secret marijuana plantations. Our trip takes us to Vancouver Island, to the middle of a coastal rain forest and a pot-growing paradise. On this particular occasion, I had the pleasure of visiting with the ambitious crew from the Secret Valley Seed Company, who took me on a tour of their fields and breeding patches.

The trip started around noon, which is early morning by island standards. First, we loaded two trucks with camping gear and harvesting equipment, such as pruning scissors and buckets with tight seals. After about two hours of traveling down logging roads and backcountry trails, we came to a high mountain valley. We stashed the trucks along an overgrown trail and proceeded to hike our camping gear and food to the drop spot. The campsite was for a crew that would be staying in the mountains for the next few days to prepare for the busy weeks ahead.

From the drop spot, the hike got rough—around boulders, up steep cliffs, through washed-out creeks and thick brush. About 15 minutes into the hike, we started coming into the cannabis patches. I could smell them before I could see them; the sweet smell was carried by the downhill breeze and put a grin on our faces instantly. For the next 10 minutes, we hiked past hundreds of plants of all kinds and colors, with more waiting around every corner.

Most were being grown in groups ranging from four to 20 plants, depending on the terrain. My guides explained how growing these smaller patches in such rough terrain made the risk of theft or bust a lot lower. The police helicopters concentrate on the larger fields close to town or in places where it’s safe and clear to land a chopper. Out here, the company is growing dozens of smaller pot patches all across the valley and has never lost a crop to police or rippers (bud thieves).