So, after years spent hiding in the dark, fearing they
the greenhouse was an intensive, laborious, and painstaking
could come to arrest me and throw me in a cell at any
job, and just like any other restoration/renovation task, it
given moment, at the end of my academic path, I decided
started with a good, old clean-up! The first step was to remove
it was time to restart my life. After all those years, my
all the stones, weed out (not just a pun here) all the wild grass
only regret is that I should have done this earlier!
that was infesting the area, and ultimately turning it over.
When I first entered the cannabis community in
I must take a moment here and provide a little explanation.
Barcelona, I was shocked by the low quality, despite a
In regenerative culture, a key concept is that of no-till farming,
relatively more favorable and friendly environment.
where crops are grown without disturbing the soil. The aim
Despite the initial shock, I was still highly motivated and
is to avoid unnecessary erosion, damage the mycelium in the
confident of the quality I was going to achieve with my products.
substrate and keep the right balance within the soil web.
At the same time, I was also well aware that my fully organic
However, in our specific case, and taking into account our needs
approach was rather an unorthodox one and would not have
to start growing as soon as possible, we have decided to skip this
found much support in the beginning. Yet, I was determined and
fundamental step and deemed to intervene in a more radical
not ready to give up. I wanted to make a difference, and I did.
way. We started with sowing several plants rich in nutritive
As the founder of the Growers With Attitude Collective,
elements, cutting them down after a month, and mulching them
I think my greatest luck is working with a great, rock-
with some hey. We proceeded by carefully and manually digging
solid team that has become a family after so many years
a small hole for each plant and fed them with compost tea for
and adventures. I like to believe we could not have
their entire life cycles. We spent the first year understanding
gone so far without the support of each of them.
how soil works, also taking into account water distribution.
In spite of all the difficulties and obstacles, we have grown
The first year’s crop was satisfying yet well below the
stronger together and ended complementing each other. In
potential we could have achieved with a place like that. It
more practical terms, this means 60 awards won in the last
took some time, and season after season, tweak after tweak,
three years alone, making us one of the most titled collectives
we managed to build a fertile and prosperous oasis. The vast
and more than just a reference in the European scene. In fact,
presence of earthworms gives a more tangible proof of our hard
nurturing and working with soil, rather than just plants, is
work. You can literally find them by just digging a small hole
the core of our philosophy. We believe we have great resources
anywhere in our greenhouse. They were introduced in small
available to us already, and we aim to regenerate those by
colonies, year after year, and they happily and quickly took
simply observing the natural habitat in which we live. As you
over. We have organized the space into six long rows, filled with
can imagine, our cultivation methods and system are fairly
large beds that can host 10 to 12 plants each. The plants we are
simple yet flexible enough to adapt easily to any situation.
currently growing are smaller than the ones you can see in a
In a country where growing cannabis is still
Californian greenhouse. This is mostly due to legal limitations
a crime, punished with jail time, we must find a
and constrictions. Indeed, it is possible to grow for personal
compromise between what’s ideal and what’s safe,
consumption; however, the size of this cultivar is well beyond
without necessarily harming the place around us.
anything that can be defined as personal. Another key difference
In a situation where safety is not an issue, we never get
is that in places like California (or even The Netherlands,
rid of “old soil,” but we’d rather regenerate it and make
NDR), the limitation concerns the number of plants one can
sure it’s kept “alive.” Where safety is at stake, we simply
grow, where in Spain, the issue is rather the size of the final
repurpose our soil for other non-cannabis cultivars, such as
crop, regardless of the number of plants. Hence the need to
a small home garden. This is only possible if natural soil
grow smaller plants that are easier to hide too. All in all, the
conditioners, bacteria, and compost are exclusively used in the
most satisfying aspect of this project is not just the possibility
process. By doing so, our soil is not burdened with complex
of growing high-quality cannabis, but rather the fact that we’re
and heavy additives, which are difficult to “wash away,” and
doing this in a place that was desert just a few months before.
we can constantly monitor its quality and performance. When growing cannabis indoors, our plants usually follow a
This wonderful experience I am sharing with one of my business partners makes me even more aware of how much you
strict feeding regime, based mostly on water, with the addition of
can achieve by just following, observing, and respecting the
few natural conditioners, such as organic compost tea, if specific
nature around you. And I don’t want to waste any time thinking
genetics requires it. When cultivating outdoors, and if safety
of how much damage we would have done (maybe irreparably) to
allows, we must tailor our modus operandi to the environment in
that already malnourished soil if we were to incorporate artificial
which we operate. The most remarkable project we have worked
conditioners, synthesis fertilizers, or any chemical phytomedicine
on is a small greenhouse in the southern part of Catalunya,
or pesticide, like those currently used by many commercial
Spain. When we first arrived, this greenhouse was in a complete
growers. Knowing that every time I leave that place, it’s better
state of abandonment, with an unfertile and impoverished soil.
and more living than before is a great, enriching feeling. And
After a few years of hard work, it has now become a heaven of
even greater is the pride and satisfaction that come after
colors, scents, and of course, resins of all kinds. I must admit,
winning numerous competitions and prizes with our products
it was not an easy job, but that’s what makes it even more
while staying loyal to our “only water” philosophy and beating all
rewarding. Regenerating the soil and bringing it back to life in
the odds. It is a small personal victory against all gatekeepers
