Fast buds outdoor competition 2026 🌱

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Hi everyone and welcome to week 1 of this outdoor organic Fast Buds competition 🌱 Not much to report just yet, but the seedlings are off to a good start. They’ve now been placed straight into their final 14 litre pots and are currently in the nursery greenhouse. The sun is shining and the journey has officially begun 😎 So why go straight into the final pots? Autoflowering cannabis plants don’t respond well to transplanting, mainly because of their biology and fixed life cycle. Autos come from Cannabis ruderalis, which means they start flowering automatically after just a few weeks of growth, regardless of light cycles. Because of that, their vegetative stage is very short, usually around 2 to 4 weeks. Any stress during this early stage, like transplant shock, can slow them down and affect the final size and yield. Unlike photoperiod plants, they don’t have time to recover. They keep moving forward no matter what, so early setbacks stick with them. Root development is also key at this stage, and transplanting can disturb or limit that, which impacts the plant’s overall potential. You can transplant autos if it’s done very early and carefully, but it adds risk for very little benefit, especially with such a short cycle. Hope you all had a great weekend ! Happy gardening 😎💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 2 of this outdoor organic Fast Buds competition 🌱 The girls have officially shed their shells and are now entering the early seedling stage of this approximately 3-month autoflower run. Not much to report just yet, conditions have been favourable so far, with solid sunlight and mild outdoor temperatures for this time of year. The seedlings are looking vigorous, healthy, and showing strong early development. Starting next week, I’ll begin introducing light doses of root stimulant to support root zone expansion and overall plant vitality. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy growing 💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 3 of this outdoor organic Fast Buds competition 🌱 After a week away in Italy, I’m happy to be back with the girls, and they’re looking healthy, happy, and full of vigor. They’re still in the greenhouse nursery, and I’ve started feeding them Root Juice, which will be their only nutrient for the next two weeks to help build a strong root system. The weather here is expected to get quite hot next week, so I’m sure they’ll love the extra sunshine 😎 Unfortunately, one Cherry Cola was attacked by a stoner slug, even though the plants were well protected. That’s all part of the growing journey and nature always keeps us on our toes. I hope you all had a great weekend! See you next week for another update 🌿 Happy growing 💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 4 of this outdoor organic Fast Buds competition 🌱 The weather has been incredible this week, with consistent daytime temperatures of 30–33°C, and the girls are absolutely loving it. I’ve started feeding them Root-Juice and introduced some light LST, and they’re responding really well ! Healthy, happy, and starting to truly thrive. As of next week, they’ll begin receiving some light feeding. They’ll spend another couple of weeks in the greenhouse nursery before making the move outdoors. I’ve also started harvesting some elderberrie from the garden to make lemonade. Hope everyone had a great weekend ! Happy gardening 😎💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 5 of the Outdoor Organic Fast Buds Competition! 🌱 The girls have absolutely thrived over the past two weeks of exceptionally warm weather, with temperatures reaching around 34°C. Today, we're finally back to more typical May conditions at around 22°C, and we've had our first rainfall in over two weeks, a much needed refresh for both the garden and nature alike. The plants have now graduated from the nursery to the great outdoors and are receiving light applications of Bio-Grow alongside Root-Juice. I'm also continuing with some gentle LST (Low-Stress Training) to help shape their structure and maximize future development. So far, they appear happy, healthy, vigorous, and full of life. I'm very pleased with their progress and excited to see how they develop over the coming weeks. I hope everyone has had a fantastic weekend and that your gardens are thriving too. Happy gardening ! 💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 6 of the Outdoor Organic Fast Buds Competition ! 🌱 Everything is looking great this week on the western front ! The girls are happy, healthy, and thriving. After some variable conditions, the weather has settled back into typical June temperatures, with daytime highs around 19–20°C. We've had a bit of wind this week, but the plants seem to be responding well, using it to strengthen their stems and structure. That extra resilience should come in handy when they're carrying those heavy harvests later on ! 😄 I'm continuing with low-stress training (LST) and providing small, measured feedings to keep growth steady and healthy. Overall, I'm very pleased with their progress so far, and I'm excited to see how they develop over the coming weeks. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and enjoying the journey with their plants ! Happy gardening 💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 1 of flowering of this outdoor organic Fast Buds competition 🌱 After a period of less-than-ideal weather and plenty of rain, we're finally back to a heatwave with temperatures around 30°C. Some of the girls are finishing their first week of flower, while others are just getting started. They are still on the smaller side, which has me wondering whether I made a rookie mistake by removing the greenhouse too early during the poor weather. Outdoor autos can sometimes become stressed or stunted when they spend too much time saturated with rain. The next couple of weeks should tell the story. That said, the plants look happy, healthy, and full of vigor. This week I've started introducing Bio-Bloom and Top max while continuing with light doses of Bio-Grow and Root-Juice to support their development through the transition into flowering. I hope everyone had a great weekend ! And as always, happy gardening 💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 2 of flower of this outdoor organic Fast buds competition ! 🌱 As I mentioned last week, most of the girls are on the smaller side. Unfortunately, my concerns were justified, I made the classic beginner mistake of allowing them to become waterlogged during a period of poor weather, which has definitely slowed their growth. Every season brings valuable lessons. Despite the setback, they're looking really healthy overall and are progressing very nicely through flower. The harvest will likely be less than originally hoped, but the plants are still developing well and showing great potential 😊 The two Strawberry Banana cultivars seem to have escaped any negative effects. They're slightly behind the others in flowering, but they're now beginning to stretch nicely and look very promising. Nutrient-wise, I've stopped using Root·Juice and am continuing with Bio-Grow, Bio-Bloom, and Top-Max. With temperatures expected to exceed 40°C this week, I'll be keeping a close eye on them and doing my best to help them through the heat. I hope everyone had a great weekend ! As always, happy gardening 😎💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to week 3 of Flower of this Fast Buds outdoor organic competition 🌱 After an intense week of extreme heat, with temperatures peaking around 45°C, conditions have finally become much more favorable. Daytime highs are now sitting around 25°C, and the forecast looks stable for the coming week before another possible 40°C+ heatwave moves in. The ladies have handled the stress exceptionally well and are showing strong vigor, excellent health, and steady progression through early flower. The Strawberry Banana phenotypes have really begun to express their stretch phase, developing impressive internodal spacing and canopy structure. The other cultivars have largely completed their floral transition and are now shifting their energy into flower set, biomass accumulation and trichome production. One standout this week is Cherry Cola, which is already displaying beautiful anthocyanin expression with deep purple hues emerging throughout the flowers. I’m also pleasantly surprised by the terpene profil, it’s putting out a remarkably sweet cherry aroma that’s becoming more pronounced each day. One of the phenotypes is displaying a clustered/crown top which consists of multiple small flowers instead of one main cola. To help the plants cope with the recent heat, I’ve increased irrigation frequency and slightly raised the Top Max dosage to support flower development and overall plant performance. Overall, the garden is looking very promising heading into the next stage of bloom. Hope everyone had a great weekend, and as always… happy gardening 💚🌱😎

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 4 of flower of this Outdoor Organic Fast Buds Competition ! 😁🌿 The garden is looking better than ever this week ! Flowering is progressing beautifully, with vibrant colors and incredible aromas filling the air. Even the neighbours, who only grow photoperiod plants, have been stopping by with compliments ! 😄 The Strawberry Banana cultivars have now completed their stretch and are focusing on stacking flowers. Gorilla Cookies is developing nicely, while the Cherry Cola cultivars are absolutely thriving. They're showing stunning purple hues and giving off delicious sweet cherry terpenes already. 🍒💜 This week I'll be increasing their feed slightly as they begin putting on serious biomass and resin production. The weather has been fantastic so far this season, and I'm incredibly grateful for the ideal outdoor growing conditions. ☀️🌱 I hope you've all had an amazing weekend ! As always, happy gardening ! 😊💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 5 of flowering for this outdoor organic Fast Buds competition ! 😁 This week has brought us straight back into another heatwave, with daytime temperatures pushing around 38°C. Despite the challenging conditions, the ladies have responded exceptionally well, putting on significant biomass while noticeably increasing resin production. The terpene profile is really beginning to express itself too, with each cultivar developing its own unique aromatic character. The flowers are incredibly resinous and almost greasy to the touch, a common response to prolonged heat. The garden smells absolutely phenomenal right now. While sustained high temperatures can cause some loss of the more volatile terpenes by harvest, that's simply part of growing outdoors. Personally, I'd take sunshine over weeks of rain any day. To help them cope with the forecasted heat, I've increased both irrigation and feed slightly this week. The extra moisture and nutrition should support continued flower development while reducing stress during the hottest part of the season. The Strawberry Banana is still trailing the others slightly in maturity, but she's progressing beautifully and should have no trouble catching up. The Gorilla Cookies is stacking serious biomass and developing into a real heavyweight, while the Cherry Cola plants are producing an impressive blanket of resin alongside some stunning anthocyanin expression, with rich purple hues beginning to emerge throughout the flowers. A couple of the plants are also producing three-finger leaves. This is most likely a minor genetic quirk or a slight response to environmental conditions that can resemble reveg. Either way, it's having no negative impact on flower production, they're simply growing with a particularly dense, bushy structure. Overall, I'm very happy with how the garden is progressing. The flowers continue to swell, resin production is ramping up week by week, and the terpene profile is becoming more complex with each passing day. I hope you've all had a fantastic weekend, and as always... Happy gardening ! 😎💚

The_Kitchen_Raccoon 🌿 Week 6 of flower of this outdoor organic Fast Buds competition 🌿 Harvest day has finally arrived for three of the girls ! 😁 This past week has been incredible, and I'm genuinely impressed by how quickly some of these plants matured, finishing in just 11 weeks from seed.. After a 10-day flush, I harvested three Cherry Cola phenotypes, all at approximately 25% amber trichomes. 🍒 Pheno #1 (The Purple Pheno) Absolutely stunning. The buds are completely coated in resin and the aroma is exactly what the name promises, sweet cherry cola backed by a subtle hint of gas. I decided to leave the lower half of the plant to mature for another week to see what she can do. ⛽ Pheno #2 Produced beautiful, dense flowers with exceptional trichome coverage and an impressive main cola. The terpene profile leans more towards sweet, gassy, hashy aromas. 💎 Pheno #3 Very similar to #2, but with slightly smaller flowers and even heavier resin production. She's also showing some slight purple hues. The girls are now in the drying room, set at 18°C and 60% relative humidity. I'll share the harvest results once everything has dried. The remaining ladies are progressing nicely. I've now started flushing Cherry Cola Pheno #4 and Gorilla Cookies, while Strawberry Banana is still being fed as she needs around another month to finish. She's already putting out some delicious sweet strawberry terps, and I can't wait to see how she develops ! 😋🍓 I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, and as always... Happy gardening ! 😎💚🌱

The_Kitchen_Raccoon Welcome to Week 7 of Flower for this outdoor organic Fast Buds competition ! 😎 It's been another fantastic week, and the girls have really matured. Today I'll be harvesting the last of the Cherry Cola cultivars along with the Gorilla Cookies. The Strawberry Banana is taking a little longer and will need another couple of weeks before she's ready. The terpene profiles are absolutely incredible. The Cherry Cola plants are bursting with sweet, fuel-heavy aromas, the Gorilla Cookies has that unmistakable rich cookie scent, and the Strawberry Banana is filling the garden with deliciously sweet strawberry notes. 😋 The flowers have swollen beautifully over the last week and are absolutely coated in resin. Most of the plants are now showing over 30% amber trichomes, so it's the perfect time for them to come down. 😁 They'll be drying at 18°C and 60% relative humidity to preserve as much flavour and quality as possible. I'll be posting a full harvest update once they're dry, followed by another update after they've had time to cure. Although I stunted a few of the plants early on by moving them out of the nursery too soon and allowing them to become waterlogged (an absolute rookie mistake 😅), I'm really happy with how this grow turned out overall. I'm definitely looking forward to running more Fast Buds genetics in the future. 👍🏼 Thanks to everyone who's been following along and supporting this grow. I hope you've all had a great weekend, and as always... Happy gardening ! 😎💚🌱