Give it Away
Perhaps the best part of growing your own plants occurs about a month after harvest, when you get a chance to weigh it out and marvel at the beauty of your harvest. Besides the accomplishment of raising a plant from seed to end product, it will soon occur to you just how little money you’ve spent in relation to getting this much end product! What might cost you several hundreds of dollars normally in a store (potentially even $1000+), you likely just grew for about $50 for the same amount.
Doing the math for your cultivation efforts really drives home how much prohibition has cost the average consumer (let alone someone who was punished for consumption/cultivation by law enforcement)... And just how much money both illicit and legal markets are raking in at the moment.
And prices aren’t really going down at a fast rate either; San Francisco California had the first legal sales in the country open in 1994 but the city is still averaging $100-250 for an ounce - 29 years of legalization still hasn’t done much to lower the price!
Depending on just how much you use, you could end up with a huge stockpile for very little initial investment. And you likely grew it for a pittance out of pocket (not counting your time) - like less than $5-10 an ounce. Your collection could soon start to look like a wealthy person’s wine cellar. 😈
So what do you do with it all? 👀 ...And yes, of course, using it or making other products out of it is the first answer. ...And no, I am not telling anyone to sell it off - that’s still pretty much illegal everywhere and there are a host of safety concerns when it comes to selling/buying home made medicine!
It’s our hope that as home growers become more common, they will talk openly about their hobby and be connected with the community… And it will become more of a norm just to give away a bunch of your end product. Yeah, really.
Really, really!
It only serves to help you grow as a cultivator, your fellow growers, and it’s a great way of sharing your passion by giving it away for free.
Did you just harvest some new sticky icky that you’re proud of? Bag up a gram or two and give some to a friend who also grows - they’ll probably start giving you flowers when they harvest too.
There’s lots of reasons to give someone a little herb: If it’s related to your job, then use it like a calling card. Flowers can also tell you a lot about how someone grows and give you an idea of what to expect from lights or nutrients - which means sharing buds with other growers can help you learn to grow better. Better, if you’re both growing the same strain then you can taste subtle differences and really get a great comparison of your cultivation skills.
…And it’s honestly really nice being able to measure yourself against others - not for ego’s sake but to see how well you’re doing in general. If you get people who are willing to give you real, honest feedback then sometimes you might hear thoughts or recommendations from an expert that gives you an idea for improving your own results!
Tell a suffering friend you care by giving them an 8th. It will be especially appreciated if they don’t grow their own but just enjoy the product. Many home growers have genetics that aren’t commonly seen at dispensaries because there’s a difference between the choices for personal preferences vs commercial viability. Your few grams of Creme de la Cosmos will probably be a breath of fresh air compared to yet another purchase of Blue Dream or Sour Diesel.
If you ever want to see someone’s jaw drop like a cartoon character, the next time you see a friendly-looking fellow stoner smoking in their car or at a park, walk up and offer them a nug. I’ve met new friends this way, and it’s nice to know I can share some top-shelf organics with a stranger as just another random act of kindness - another mitzvah.
And hey, maybe the favor will be returned by the same people! Swapping flowers regularly means that it won’t be long until your little collection really does seem to resemble the aforementioned wine cellar, with dozens of little jars with scribblings about who gave it to you and what it is.
Go to an event at a hydroponic gardening store or a cultivation convention and it’s possible to leave with a dozen new flavors and just as many friends!
Sometimes buddies will want to share their own passions with you too and they might share home brewed beer or victory garden fruits/veggies or a hat they knit. (Again, we are not encouraging using this for bartering as that’s still technically illegal in most areas but we’re saying that sometimes folks just give little gifts back as thanks for your own kind gesture. Stay safe and legal, folks!)
It's also fun to provide samples to friends and get their input/feedback on the various different strains you're growing, to see how THEY perceived the different buds, particularly if they're a stoner who knows what they're doing and would have an informed opinion.
I have a friend who regularly drives 30 minutes to my place for our share hobby, and I know he's a big connoisseur, so I frequently gift him a couple nugs on his way out the door. He's paying for the gas and taking the extra transit time back and forth, while I just sit on my butt until he gets here, so why not be nice and provide a "thank you for the effort - it doesn't go unnoticed" type of gratitude?
Of course, the key aspect to all of this is technically never to expect anything in return - that's why it's called "gifting." And I don’t just say that for legality sake, but because the whole spirit of giving is meant to share your own joys with others. Sometimes people don’t have something to give back to you and sometimes they’re just not in a position to give you something back, and that's OK.
Heck, sometimes they have something you really don’t want anyway - some hay-smelling grossness... Or maybe they even see your flowers in the same way! 😱 You don’t have to go crazy and give product away to everybody you see or even at all - it’s just a nice thing I’d like to encourage between friends and fellow cultivators… And it can be a key to learning more both about the industry and your own efforts. It's easier to do, and goes farther, when kept reasonable - a nug or two. You don't have to be handing out ounces or even quarters... a few nugs go a long way. As the old adage goes: it's the thought that counts.
Please note: Just like not all plants are legal in every US state, so too do laws vary about giving away products to other 21+ adults. Some places are permissive, others see it almost the same as trying to sell it - so check your laws and be safe! We in no way condone or promote people breaking the law. …Even when it sucks.
Article by Kyle Hamilton, Green Goddess Supply's local ethnobotanical know-it-all - par excellence.
