Cheating the Seasons: A Grower’s Guide to a Double Outdoor Harvest
The ancient rhythm of an outdoor grow is a beautiful thing: one seed in the spring, one glorious, sun-kissed harvest in the fall. It’s the natural way.
But what if I told you that you could cheat that rhythm? What if you could pull off two full harvests in a single year, from the very same patch of dirt?
Recommended Strains
AK Auto
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THC: 16% - 18% -
Type of seed: Autoflowering -
Phenotype: 65% Sativa / 35% Indica -
Life cycle of: 8 - 10 weeks
Candy Kush Fast Version
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THC: 16% - 18%
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Type of seed: Feminized
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Phenotype: 40% Sativa / 60% Indica
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Day to flower: 8 - 10 weeks
It’s not a fantasy. It’s an advanced technique for dedicated and strategic growers. And with the right plan and the right genetics, you can absolutely do it too.
The Three Weapons in Your Arsenal
To pull off a double harvest, you need to manipulate time. You have three main weapons in your arsenal to make this happen.
1. The Sprinter:
The Autoflower This is the simplest and most straightforward path to a double harvest. Autoflowers are on their own internal clock; they don’t care about the changing seasons or the hours of daylight. You can plant them as soon as the last frost of spring has passed, and you’ll be harvesting a full crop in just 8-10 weeks. This means you can easily have a full harvest curing in the jar by early summer, leaving you a wide-open window to plant your second round.
2. The Middle Ground:
The Fast Version Strain These genetics are the perfect compromise for your second harvest. “Fast Version” strains are photoperiod plants that have been cleverly crossed with an autoflower. The result? They are still guided by the seasons, but their flowering time is dramatically shorter, often finishing two or three weeks earlier than a traditional plant. Those few weeks can be the difference between a successful fall harvest and a moldy disaster.
3. The Pro Move:
Light Deprivation This is for the truly dedicated, hands-on grower. With this technique, you can take any normal, high-yielding photoperiod plant and force it to flower in the middle of summer. How? By manually tricking it into thinking winter is coming. You have to cover your plant with a 100% light-proof tarp at the exact same time every single day to ensure it gets 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. It requires military discipline. But the reward is a massive, top-shelf harvest in July, leaving you plenty of time for a second crop to finish naturally in the fall.
Promos & Deals
The Battle Plan: A Sample Calendar
So how does this look in practice? Here’s a simple, effective battle plan for a double harvest.
- Early April: Plant your autoflowers (like an AK Auto) as soon as the weather is safe.
- Late June / Early July: Harvest your beautiful auto crop. Immediately amend your soil with fresh compost and nutrients.
- Immediately After: Plant your Fast Version seeds (like a Candy Kush Fast Version).
- Late September / Early October: Harvest your second, even bigger crop, just as your neighbors are getting started on theirs.
You’re asking a lot from your patch of dirt, and you’re giving pests a longer window to find you. You must be vigilant with your plant’s health and replenish your soil between grows. But when you Cultivate with this level of planning, you’re not just a grower; you’re a master of the seasons, creating a Sustainable, year-round Homegrown bounty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it really possible to get two outdoor cannabis harvests in one season?
Yes, absolutely. By using a strategic combination of fast-finishing genetics like autoflowers and “Fast Version” strains or by using advanced techniques like light deprivation, a dedicated grower in a climate with a reasonably long summer can successfully pull off two full harvests in a single year.
What is the easiest way to get a double harvest?
The simplest and most straightforward method is to plant an autoflowering strain as early as possible in the spring. Because they finish in just 8-10 weeks, you can harvest them in early summer and then immediately plant another round of autoflowers for a second harvest in the fall.
What are “Fast Version” cannabis strains?
They are a clever hybrid. A “Fast Version” is a photoperiod plant (it flowers based on the changing seasons) that has been crossed with an autoflower. This gives it the “fast-flowering” gene, causing it to finish several weeks earlier than a normal photoperiod strain, which is a huge advantage for a double-season grower.
What is “light deprivation” or “light dep”?
“Light dep” is an advanced technique where you manually cover your outdoor plants with a light-proof tarp every single day to force them into a 12/12 light cycle. This tricks a normal photoperiod plant into flowering in the middle of summer instead of waiting for the fall, allowing you to harvest early and plant a second crop.
