Should You Grow Hemp In Your Backyard?

by april line
Hemp Garden

It’s a really cool idea.

I love the thought of tending my bushy CBD plants in my backyard where I can make my own CBD Products.

But here’s the thing. Hemp is still marijuana adjacent and all cultivars of the Cannabis Sativa Plant are in legal gray area, especially for regular folks. 

In Pennsylvania, for 2021’s growing season, here’s what you need to grow hemp: 

  1. A Permit: The permit is relatively inexpensive, $150 for the year. If you renew next year and everything about how PA hemp permits are done stays the same, it’ll be an even lower cost. 
    1. Your permit will allow you to purchase hemp seeds or sprouts or clones for propagation
    2. Your permit will allow you to plant hemp legally and grow it, and then to harvest it as long as you follow the rules
    3. Your permit will require you to follow some guidelines and file various paperwork at specific points; more on this in a moment 
  2. The ability to grow 150 plants, as that’s the minimum for this year’s permit for outdoor growing
  3. A clean FBI background check
  4. Special permission from the department of agriculture to grow hemp within 200 feet of a residential structure
  5. You must live at least 3 miles from a medical marijuana growing facility
  6. You must not live within 1,000 feet of a school
  7. You must be willing and able to file planting and harvest reports with the department of agriculture
  8. You must be willing and able to have your hemp plants tested before harvest for the presence of THC above the .3% delta-9 threshold

If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. 

Most states with Industrial Hemp programs have similar regulations. 

And it’s gonna stay pretty intensely regulated until Hemp is no longer taboo, until it’s more mainstream, probably even until recreational marijuana is legal nationwide. 

These regulations exist to protect farmers and consumers, and are seen as necessary because the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) does regulate THC, and until relatively recently, Industrial Hemp (which is the kind you’d be allowed to grow in your backyard) was classified as a schedule 1 Drug and regulated by the DEA.

Now, only cannabis plants that have a Delta-9 THC content of higher than .3% by weight are regulated by the DEA. 

But it’s actually kind of easy to grow Industrial Hemp cultivars that are bred for high-CBD content and accidentally end up with marijuana. This is why the department of agriculture has created permitting guidelines that are actively designed to exclude hobbyists and gardeners. 

But no hard feelings, really. It’s just safer and more manageable for the state to oversee the burgeoning industry if it excludes non-professional growers. 

In Conclusion:

If you want to scratch your itch to work with hemp plants, check the state database for hemp farms, see if you can connect with a farmer who’d let you volunteer to work with the plants or help with planting, fertilization, or harvest this coming season. I have heard it’s soothing to be around hemp plants. 

Image Source: Nickype

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can you grow hemp on residential property?

A. Here’s What you need to grow hemp: 1. A Permit. 2. The ability to grow 150 plants. 3. A clean FBI background check. 4. Special permission from the department of agriculture to grow hemp within 200 feet of a residential structure. 5. You must live at least 3 miles from a medical marijuana growing facility. 6. You must not live within 1,000 feet of a school. 7. You must be willing and able to file planting and harvest reports with the department of agriculture. 8. You must be willing and able to have your hemp plants tested before harvest for the presence of THC above the .3% delta-9 threshold

Q. How does the hemp permit help you?

A. The permit is relatively inexpensive, $150 for the year. If you renew next year and everything about how PA hemp permits are done stays the same, it’ll be an even lower cost. 1. Your permit will allow you to purchase hemp seeds or sprouts or clones for propagation. 2. Your permit will allow you to plant hemp legally and grow it, and then to harvest it as long as you follow the rules 3. Your permit will require you to follow some guidelines and file various paperwork at specific points.

Q. Why did the department of agriculture created permitting guidelines?

A. It’s actually easy to grow Industrial Hemp cultivars that are bred for high-CBD content and accidentally end up with marijuana. This is why the department of agriculture has created permitting guidelines.

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