1. Start planning well in advance. Creating a good growing site should be started the previous season. If Marijuana were legal you would just need to get your garden ready, but reality is that our government stills maintains it to be illegal. That's the first obstacle. You also have to contend with varmints, poachers, and accidents. Growing it on your own land creates the risk of having your personal assets confiscated in many localities. Growing it on public land or your neighbor's property increases the risk of accidental discovery. The place you choose to construct your growing site should be someplace familiar to you.

2. Choose a plot with good southern exposure and very limited access. Someplace with lots of small to medium shrubs and small trees is ideal, especially sticker bushes. A water source is a major consideration. You don't want to haul water if you can help it. Water is heavy and you look pretty obvious lugging around water containers. The placement of water pipes at a remote location if discovered is a dead giveaway. If you have a natural spring, stream, or other water source handy then you're halfway there. Keep the size of the plot(s) fairly small as the larger you make them, the easier they are to spot. 3-5 feet square is pretty much maximum.

3. Hide your site well. Dense surrounding vegetation will minimize the risk of critters eating your plants, as well as keeping people from getting too close to your plot. Good herb has a strong smell, so you don't want anyone getting close enough to smell the buds when they're flowering. If you can, choose a plot with good soil. Otherwise, plan on hauling in soil, or bringing in buckets with planting soil. Choose a site that is not easily accessible to hikers. You can increase your odds by creating obstacles surrounding the site (weaving branches, etc.), but this must be done no less than the previous year in advance. It is easy to spot man-made obstacles. A good hidden path is important. By building the year before, you are allowing nature to cover your tracks. Surround the plot itself with a dense fence to keep out rats and other small animals that may want to nibble on your plants (or chew off the stalks), and camouflage well. You may need to build a higher enclosure may be necessary to keep deer out. This is why dense shrubbery is preferred. The less building you need to do to protect your garden, the less chance there is that it will be spotted. Also, and this is very important, whenever you are going to and from your plot always keep all tools and supplies well hidden. Put them in your pockets, or if you're hauling big stuff, bring your partner along to scout ahead. All it takes is one slip-up to reveal what you're doing.

4. Get your water thing together. Run pipes, if necessary, but bury them well. Drip lines will save you an enormous amount of work. If you're going to haul water, then you will have to construct something in which to hide your buckets.

5. Get a partner- someone reliable who will keep your secret. Don't tell anyone that you don't have to, otherwise your secret isn't a secret. You will need someone to back you up and cover for you if you will be away from the garden for more than a few days.

6. Prepare the soil early in the year. Hopefully, you began preparing it the year before. Mixing potting soil into the existing soil is one way. Till or turn the soil at least a couple of feet down, adding sand if necessary to allow for good drainage. Add whatever nutrients to the soil you need to compensate for the local conditions and allow for healthy plants. I prefer using organic fertilizers (compost, guano, straw, and worms) over chemical fertilizers. I believe that the quality of the buds is better, and you are eliminating the creation processes of the chemicals. If the soil is too rocky, you may want to plant in buckets. However, I believe that you will get stronger plants by planting directly into the earth. Make sure your plot is clear of weeds before beginning to plant.

7. Use quality seeds that are from plants grown in similar regions (if possible) to that where you are growing. It is important to maintain a good seed bank. A good time to start collecting seeds is in November and the following months after the year's outdoor harvest is in.

8. Planting will begin after the last frost of the year, probably in April or May depending on where you live. You can either plant seeds or seedlings. Planting seeds is an easier method to conceal. Planting seedlings will minimize the amount of seeds that you need. If you can get cloned or sexed (female) plants, that's awesome, as this will eliminate the need to weed out the male plants at the beginning of the flowering cycle. The obvious drawback to seedlings is their transportation to the site. Also, if you use seedlings you may initially want to construct some sort of frame or shelter to protect them from late frosts. The idea is to maximize the amount of plants you can put in a space without crowding them as they begin to grow. All plants flourish when they don't have to compete with one another for space.

9. Water your plants every day or every other day, but keep a close eye on them. Get yourself a high nitrogen plant food like Miracle, Eco, or Rapid Grow to mix into the water during the vegetative growth period. I prefer organic fertilizer like bat guano or rabbit guano. Worm castings are also beneficial. Go easy on the fertilizer, at first, as you don't want to burn out the plants. As the summer progresses you can increase the amount of fertilizer you add. If you've constructed drip-lines, then all you need to do is monitor the amount of water the plants get. As the temperature increases, so will the amount of water that you give your plants.

10. Begin weeding after the first couple of weeks. Be very careful not to injure your seedlings. If you've planted a lot of seeds, you may begin thinning the plants. After the plants get larger, the need to weed becomes less as the weeds provide mulching and hold water in the soil. Weeds will also help camouflage your plot. Do not mess with the plants themselves by pruning or tying them up. Anything you do to the plants is going to slow their growth. If you thin out plants after they start getting bigger, you might consider just cutting them off at the base so you don't mess up the root systems of your keeper plants.

11. Come late summer the plants will enter their flowering cycle. If you planted clones, then all you have to do is monitor them. What you want to do is remove the male plants, cutting them off at the base of the plant (unless, of course, you're trying to get seeds, then leave 1 male plant.) The males will begin producing little balls of pollen (without the white hairs that buds get), and the females will get little feelers at the base of the branches. For the best quality (and quantity) smoke you want female plants. Cut back on the watering to every second or third day, and switch to a low nitrogen, high phosphorous fertilizer. Keep a close eye on the developing buds for bud rot. It will look like a mold or fungus. If it appears, then remove the section of the plants that it appears on so as not to let the fungus spread to the other plants. Also, cut off the sections that it appears on (rather than tear) being careful not to touch healthy plants with the infected parts or your fingers.

12. Harvest time will be approximately right before the first hard frost hits. A lot of people swear that they get even hardier buds by waiting until just after the first frost hits. Extreme care must be taken during this process. Cops and poachers are looking for people harvesting their crops. Evening is a good time, or very early morning. Cut the buds off at the base of the stem, harvesting the leaves and small buds separately. Work fast, but be aware, and don't leave a mess. You are beginning to prepare right now for the next season.

13. You should have prepared a place to dry your crop in advance. It is important that you don't keep your buds in sealed containers or bags for more than an hour or two, or else they will begin to form mold or fungus. If possible, you want a protected space such as a shed or a closet. If possible, hang the buds up to dry. Space the buds apart so air can circulate around them. If you dry them in a drawer or on a table, make sure they have plenty of space, making sure to rotate the buds regularly to ensure even drying. Leaves can be dried on a table, or even a clean floor. The drying process will usually take about a week. Adjust for temperature and humidity. If the drying space is cool, you might want to use a fan and/or heater.

14. Enjoy the fruits of your harvest, and begin preparing for the next year. Most everyone's first growing season is going to be a time of trial and error. This is how we learn.