Know-how, experience and passion: these are the ingredients our team in western Switzerland uses to grow first-class hemp flowers. It's the only way to create natural products that impress in both look and taste and have a high CBD content. This is the foundation for the consistently high quality of Heimat products, from pre-rolls to hemp tea.
How is CBD hemp grown?
As in so many fields, growing hemp takes knowledge, experience, time and commitment. And it takes ideal conditions.
Hemp grows best in loose, well-drained soil rich in organic nutrients. Seedlings and cuttings can be planted out in the field once spring soil temperatures stay well above freezing, even at night. Hemp plants need enough moisture and nutrients throughout their growth cycle. So our experts always have to be on the alert and keep a constant eye on the plants and their needs, so that the flowering is as abundant as possible.
It's also important to protect the hemp plants from natural pests and diseases. We place great value on protecting our plants in a natural way. One way of controlling pests without pesticides is to grow companion plants next to the hemp that keep pests away naturally.
What's the difference between indoor and outdoor?
For generations, hemp was grown outside (outdoor) in nature like any other crop, until legal restrictions, among other things, drove it into illegality and therefore indoors. But even though CBD hemp can once again be grown openly in Switzerland, there are good reasons for growing indoors. Both methods have their pros and cons:
Indoor
Hemp grown indoors benefits from a protected environment and therefore from constant, controlled conditions. Lamps and irrigation systems take over the job of the sun and rain. This makes this type of cultivation more labour- and energy-intensive. The big advantage: long dry or rainy spells, temperature swings or gusts of wind don't affect indoor hemp. Thanks to these optimal conditions, indoor harvests are usually more abundant.
Outdoor
Much of what is done by hand or by machine in indoor cultivation is taken care of by nature in the open field. In return, the hemp is exposed to nature's whims. But it also grows the way it has grown for centuries. Much like wine, "terroir" is another fascinating factor in outdoor hemp growing. This means that the particular character of the local soil and the regional climate give the hemp an extra individual touch. The same hemp strain grown in different regions can show a wide range of aroma and flavour nuances. Outdoor growing demands a great deal of intuition and know-how from our hemp experts to help the plants thrive.
The harvest: the reward for hard work
While indoor cultivation allows several harvests a year, outdoors the plant follows the cycle of the seasons. At the end of a long growing season, the hemp plants are harvested in autumn, when the cannabinoid content of the flowers has peaked. The hemp flowers are carefully harvested by hand and then air-dried. The drying process usually takes at least 16 weeks. By then the sticky resin, which holds all the good things of the hemp plant (such as terpenes and cannabinoids), has hardened.
And then the moment finally comes: in the Heimat manufactory in eastern Switzerland, the hemp flowers are turned into a wide range of high-quality CBD products.
