While signs of spring blossom across the state, many licensed marijuana farmers are preparing their crops for this year’s outdoor production.

According to Marijuana Growers Headquarters, a website dedicated to marijuana growing practices, many marijuana producers started growing their seedlings or clones for their next batch of crops in mid-February.

These baby plants may not be ready to be planted outside until the end of March, which sets their harvest for the fall.

The east side of Washington is a great geographical location for marijuana farming due to its sunny skies and ideal wind flow.

“I would love to start an outdoor compound in the [Yakima] valley,” said Tim May, grower at The Green Vault. “The weather on that side of the mountains is perfect for growing weed.”

Since changes are coming to Washington’s marijuana laws, recreational “home growers” may be allowed to grow their own marijuana at home as early as June.

May said he recommends to anyone who wants to start growing marijuana to begin with a plant or two in their window sill, once it is legal to grow.

Producing pot outdoors has less of an overhead expense since there is no need for expensive high powered LED lights that mimic the sun’s light and outdoor crops tend to yield a higher profit.

Growing marijuana outside tends to produce a higher quantity of product as well.

On average, one outdoor plant could produce up to a pound of usable marijuana, nearly four times the amount of an indoor crop.

“You get tree-sized plants outside.” Randy Simmons, deputy director of the liquor board, said in an interview with The News Tribune.

Marijuana is grown and produced like any other crop, but pot is a seasonal plant and cannot be produced outdoors year round.

Most producers release their inventory of indoor crop slowly throughout the year.

The demand of outdoor grown crop is higher than the supply, producers tend to charge slightly more for the crop.

Most of the state’s marijuana producers prefer to grow their crop indoors because of the more controlled environment.

“Growing on the west side of the state, I prefer indoors production,” May said. “The weather in southwest Washington is too unpredictable. Plus, indoor I can grow my crops year-round, so I can produce so much more in a portion of the time it usually takes.”

However, growing outdoors could be risky with the chance of possible storms hitting the area.

Banks will not loan money to the marijuana industry, so farmers invest heavily in the production of their crops and do not see any of the money until the plants are set for harvest.

Eltopia marijuana producer Alan Schreiber told The News Tribune that one acre of harvested pot could make roughly $7.4 million.

“You would never trust this to be outside,” Schreiber told The News Tribune.