Once again, it’s that glorious time of year when it finally becomes possible to head outside without risking the case of hypothermia. Depending on where you live, spring has the wonderful potential to bring home those delicious notes of nicer weather ahead, following a winter that seemed never-ending. Not only this, but assuming you’re lucky enough to live in the kind of place where it’s legal to do so, this is also the perfect time of year to get busy sewing those cannabis seeds.

With a good four or five months to play with, there’s plenty of time to produce the kind of DIY cannabis plantation of your dreams. And even if you happen to live in a cooler northern climate, there are some truly outstanding strains to choose from that are suitable for these kinds of conditions.

So really, it seems like something of a no brainer. The weather is improving, you’ve got yourself some outdoor space to play with and you’re now legally allowed to grow at least a few cannabis plants at home.

But is it really?

Indoor Vs Outdoor Cannabis Planting

The debate regarding outdoor growing versus indoor growing has been raging for generations and most likely isn’t going anywhere in the near future at least. For every cannabis connoisseur you meet who swears by outdoor growing, another will tell you that indoor really is the only way to go. Even those who attempt to back up their claims with science and factual evidence are confronted with equally strong arguments from the other side of the fence.

So assuming you have got the luxury of choice…which really does make you one of the lucky ones…which option should you go for?

Well, the truth is it comes largely down to personal choice, as there are distinct advantages and disadvantages to outdoor growing. Read on for a brief rundown of both, which will either help you make up your mind or serve to confuse things even further:

Yes…Get Planting Outdoors!

First of all, the single biggest advantage of planting cannabis outdoors is the way in which doing so has the potential to result in vastly larger plants. The combination of limitless space to work with, the vast amounts of soil and natural growing conditions can bring about enormous, towering cannabis plants of epic proportions. And of course, you can probably work out what larger plants mean – potentially larger yields. If you’d expect say 500g for every square metre of a strain grown indoors, you could be looking at 1kg or more for the same space outdoors.

Then of course there’s the way in which if things pan out in your favour, Mother Nature will take care of pretty much everything on your behalf. You might need to do a little pruning and watering here and there, but you’ll be providing your plants with the best possible source of light on Earth and natural day/night cycles, without having to take control of things yourself.

Also in terms of practicality, the fact that your cannabis plantation will be outdoors means that no space whatsoever will be required indoors, meaning no mess, clutter or chaos. You might be able to plant more cannabis plants outdoors than you’d ever be able to plants indoors, if you have limited space to play with. What’s more, you won’t have to worry about your entire property smelling incredibly pungently of cannabis on a 24/7 basis – something that’s considered both a blessing and a curse, depending on whom you ask.

Last but not least, there will always be those who will tell you that for whichever reasons they decide to cite at the time, outdoor cannabis (supposedly) always tastes better than the stuff grown indoors. Though this is entirely a matter of personal opinion.

No…Grow Indoors!

As for the downsides, it all begins with the way in which growing outdoors means leaving your plants at the mercy of someone else. That someone being, Mother Nature. It’s all well and good to set up outdoors and have the elements smile on your cannabis crop day and night, doing the hard work on your behalf and producing the kind of killer cannabis you can’t get enough of. However, it’s something else for things to suddenly and unexpectedly take a turn for the worse, which could potentially damage or even destroy every single one of your plants. Freak flooding, strong winds, a snap frost and so on – there are so many ways and means by which outdoor plants can be laid to waste in no time at all.

Then of course there’s the way in which not being able to control lighting cycles can also be disadvantageous. Depending on what it is you want to grow, there’s every chance that growing it indoors and controlling the lighting cycles yourself could result in much faster, more abundant product than you’d be looking at by growing outdoors. When you’re at the mercy of natural lighting cycles, you simply don’t have as much control with regard to what goes on. In fact, you don’t have much control over anything at all – temperatures, humidity, lighting cycles and so on.

While indoor plants are by no means immune, outdoor plants are inherently more likely to succumb to pest infestation and various other plant diseases. All of which can be avoided with the necessary due care, attention and treatments, but it’s still an additional risk that needs to be taken into account.

Last but not least, it’s also important to remember that if you would prefer to keep your cannabis cultivation efforts under wraps, it’s quite difficult to do so with towering and perfectly pungent plants growing in your garden. No matter how discreet you think you’re being, chances are everybody knows exactly what you’re up to!

The Bottom Line…

As already touched upon, there’s no right and wrong answer as it mostly comes down to personal preference. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to both options, which will always vary significantly in accordance with your geographical location, property type, available space and so on. But it’s definitely worth bearing in mind the fact that should you decide to grow in containers, you can always move your plants indoors and outdoors as required, to soak up the best of both.