A sustainable cannabis brand we can’t get enough of is Marigold ! Known for their organic flower, cartridges, pre-rolls, and pain balms, this sun-grown farm in the heart of the Sonoma Valley (aka wine country) uses biodynamic farming practices to grow their products.

San Francisco-based non-profit organization Sparc (San Francisco Patient and Resource Center) founded the Marigold line in 2016. They grew their crop on a repurposed turkey farm in Glen Ellen, CA, the same town made famous by author Jack London. Then and now, their mission is to provide cannabis consumers with high-quality, sun-grown marijuana using the highest standards of cultivation. And it shows in their products!

Along with utilizing the beautiful NorCal sun, Marigold Farm uses a whole-farm approach to sustainability where each element on the farm benefits the others. Hella cool, right?!

Farming with biodynamics is all about letting Mother Nature lead the way. Combining sustainable practices, flowers, plants, beneficial insects, and even livestock, allows farmers to create a self-sustaining ecosystem in which crops thrive. When using this holistic and ethical farming method, plants grow healthier and more resilient. 

Biodynamics is a concept that dates back to 1924 and the work of philosopher and scientist Dr. Rudolph Steiner. His lectures to farmers paved the way for a new approach to integrate science and ‘the spirit of nature.’ Since then it has evolved into a practice allowing farmers and researchers to collaborate and celebrate natural agriculture. As a result, thousands of farms, vineyards, gardens, and orchards around the world are applying these principles to their growing systems. 

Instead of focusing on one crop, biodynamic farms grow a variety of plants and crops by rotating throughout seasons. When they mix it up, farmers boost the resilience and health of the soil by regularly introducing new organisms. In fact, growing the same crops over and over again can actually cause the soil to grow tired and lose nutrients. All in all, it’s good to keep the soil on its toes. 

For cannabis farms, this is achieved by rotating which strain is being grown so the soil revitalizes with each rotation. Marigold, for instance, grows and rotates between Purple Punch, Black Jack, Peach Puree and Blue Dream. 

Biodynamic farms incorporate wildlife into their “ecosystems” in creative ways. Farms typically start small with earthworms and honeybees. Add in a few ladybugs as natural pest control and eventually some livestock to graze and fertilize the land and voila! The animals help cycle the nutrients, creating a balance in the soil and crops. Incorporating animal life removes the need for outside fertilizers and allows for a self-contained approach to farming.

In biodynamic farming, compost works as a natural pesticide, soil fertilizer, and soil conditioner. Additionally, compost serves as a landfill to control soil erosion. In other words organic waste and manure help to stabilize the nitrogen levels in the soil and provide nutrients to the crops. Farmers enhance biodynamic compost with preparations made from medicinal herbs like yarrow, chamomile, dandelion, and more depending on the cycle of the year. A little bit of each preparation is mixed into the compost pile just after it is built, and again after it is turned. As a result, biodynamic compost helps balance the soil to the whole farm organism. Biodynamic compost helps to restore balance to the climate by bringing more carbon into “the living realm.”

While biodynamics is pretty scientific, it also allows farmers to surrender their powers to the life forces stronger than us. Biodynamic farms work in rhythm with the sun, moon, and seasonal cycles for sowing and planting. Mother Nature has a big impact on plant growth and biodynamic farming celebrates and takes advantage of that. Many cultivators find it therapeutic to be in harmony with the earth and it translates to their crops. 

Biodynamic farming is pretty amazing when you think about it. It cultivates biodiversity and regenerates the earth’s natural resources instead of degenerating them. Each farm is it’s own living organism, unique and self-sustaining. 

Marigold is among the many biodynamic farms to be certified by Demeter. Named after the Greek goddess of agriculture, Demeter is the only certifier of biodynamic farms and their products. They’re the oldest ecological certification organization in the world, active in fifty countries around the globe (since 1928).  To be certified by Demeter is to agree with their important social value: not to depend on the earth’s resources, but instead to contribute to them. 

Now that you know a little bit about why biodynamic farming is literally the best, doesn’t it make you want to search for products that are grown using these methods?! If so, don’t worry…we got you!

As pure as it gets, Marigold’s Organic Flower is grown under the Northern California sun as all the neighboring wineries we know and love. It is also cultivated by sustainably focused farmers who care deeply about the cannabis they grow and the environmental impact. 

These sustainable cartridges are ceramic from the coil to the mouthpiece, eliminating any metal and excess waste. They use high-quality, full spectrum CO2 oil extracted from their flower and mixed with botanical terpenes to bring out the flavors of mother nature and a strong effect.

Sun-Grown on the Glen Ellen farm, these babies have one full gram ground up and pre-rolled for convenience. The pre-rolls are sustainably packaged and the next best thing to fresh flower. 

For all your aches and pains, check out the pain balm. With that balanced 1:1 CBD/THC ratio, it has 500mg of cannabinoids. These aromatic, soothing cream includes shea butter, arnica oil, beeswax, lavender oil and cannabis oil. It’s all natural and incredibly comforting!

La entrada Marigold Farms: Biodynamic Cannabis At its Finest se publicó primero en Ecomeds.