Everything you ever wanted to know about GrowerGoneWild
Alaskan born and raised in the heart of Spenard in the early 70’s. It was the party side of town, drugs, hookers, massage parlors, bars, and our share of drunks. It was an interesting upbringing growing up in the shady part of town and getting bombarded with constant messages of “Just Say No” in the Ronald Regan years.
Stoners were cool, preps were snobs, and jocks were the king of the school.
My parents were interesting, they had come to Alaska for work. My dad was a Vietnam Vet, and he was doing some work on the DEW line and decided he liked it and settled here in Anchorage, Both were avid gardeners, my mother loved indoor plants, and my dad was always growing cole crops or peas in the back yard. I grew up learning the basics. Taking care of african violets or prepping beds for next years crop.
Weed was always legal in alaska, ever since Ravin vs. Alaska it was generally acceptable to have a few plants in the house, even the cops would come to the school and say that 4oz was legal to posses, and this was in the early 80’s only the big croppers got busted.
So I guess my first joint was in the mid 80’s… It was the cool thing, drugs were cool, I was in that part of town, just something everybody did. No big deal, but what really rocked my world was my first plants in the early 90’s. Wow, I love growing weed, It was fucking amazing. This is before the world wide web, this is before all this information, I went to college undeclared but my focus was biology, horticulture, and reading any MJ book I could get my hands on.
The college thing was fine and all but I needed to make some money so I dropped out and did the mechanic thing for awhile, made some money but I decided to go t more school out of state and went to a hot rod school, lots of fun. And time to time would head to Colorado and score some amazing weed. After that was said and done I wandered the states for awhile, it was ok. Couch surfing and doing odd jobs, but I eventually ended up in California where I met and amazing woman there, she still is the love of my life.
Well to complicate things I wanted to go back to Alaska, nothing in the states really felt like home to me. I dont know what it is. AK is where its at… Well I keep in touch and do the long distance relationship thing, I get a pretty good job working the oilfield, and finally get her to move up with me. And after we get married, I discover OG, and I really starting growing more and more. And then OG shuts down… 
Ive been pretty much growing nonstop, I did take a year off when I had my kid, but yeah, she married a grower, she wasn’t a big fan of it, but now she knows that her, my kid and growing is a deep part of who I am.
So after almost 15 years in the oil patch roughnecking to industrial construction I think I’m done with that noise, it was fun to garden on my days off and work and let the wifey take care of the garden. Now I’ve literally walked away from the big money and I changed my field to gardening and farming now that cannabis has become legal for recreation in 2014. I took some of that money, got an education in horticulture from Colorado State University. (and I’m still going) I have a pesticide licence with the state of Alaska, and my Marijuana handling permit, I currently work in a garden center, and I have my freemarket cannabusiness where I do IPM consulting and other work related to propagation of elite cultivars.
It took me a long time to realize that I am a gardener. I can tell you that I am in a good place. It has been a struggle to get where I am at, I am very thankful to be so immersed in plants of all kinds… Bromeliads to Pre-98 Bubba Kush, they are all wonderful and amazing, I realize how lucky I am to work something I truly love.
I think it may be good idea to start this Introduction topic for current and new members, so we can get to know each other
… I’ll point out new members to this thread.
If you are new member just click “Reply” and composer window will appear.
