The ability to purchase legal weed from a store is a landslide victory for the legalization movement, but store-bought pot can be expensive. Cannabis consumers who don’t want to contribute to the black market but don’t have the financial resources to buy legal pot on a consistent basis have a solution: they can grow it themselves. If you’re interested in growing cannabis but have no idea how to do it, here’s step one: the internet.

Websites devoted to cannabis are popping up every day, especially in light of the wave of states in the USA and countries that have legalized cannabis at some level in the past decade. 29 states plus the District of Columbia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Uruguay, Canada, Mexico, and Jamaica only make up a handful of governing bodies that have recently amended their cannabis laws to make the plant more accessible to their citizens. To meet the demand for cannabis education, the digital world has put a massive amount of information out there. You can trust what you find from the following sources.

Grow Weed Easy

Founded in 2010, Grow Weed Easy has stood the test of internet time. Despite the emergence of many new sites since its inception 8 years ago, Grow Weed Easy is one of the most cited sources today. It’s totally free, and you don’t need to create an account to access the entirety of its extremely user-friendly content. Nebula Haze, the website’s founder, and Sirius Fourside, Haze’s co-creator, have designed the website to function as a comprehensive grower’s guide divided into easy-to-read sections. Both Nebula Haze and Sirius Fourside have extensive experience growing cannabis, and their motivation to share information with the world is buoyed by their sincere belief that the plant’s therapeutic qualities should be experienced by anyone who wants to enjoy them.

I Love Growing Marijuana

Robert Bergman, I Love Growing Marijuana’s founder, has been cultivating cannabis for over 25 years in Amsterdam, the weed capital of the world (for now—Canada might take that title soon). His experience ranges from growing a small garden of cannabis for personal use to operating large-scale grow sites and lab breeding. It is now Bergman’s goal to disseminate the wealth of knowledge he has accumulated from every segment of the cannabis industry. If you live in the United States, Canada, or Europe you can purchase seeds from his website without the cost of shipping. Berman’s site contains grower guides that cover all aspects of indoor growing, outdoor growing, plant care, and medical cannabis.

Marijuana Growing

Jorge Cervantes, the pseudonym for George van Patten, published “Indoor Marijuana Horticulture,” his first book, in 1983. That should give you an idea of the history of this cultivator’s extensive experience. Marijuanagrowing.com is a compilation of Cervantes’ over 35 years of knowledge gathered from hands-on cannabis cultivation. A significant portion of that information is free, but users interested in more advanced content can purchase one of Cervantes’ books (such as The Cannabis Encyclopedia) or take one of the classes he offers at THC Univeristy, an online certification program devoted to cannabis instruction. His free material includes thousands of articles, videos, Q&A, and a forum you can peruse. Cervantes has earned the respect of the prestigious cannabis magazine, High Times, so you know you can trust his recommendations.

High Times Magazine

Speaking of High Times, this list would be incomplete without mention of the historical and comprehensive cannabis resource. Since 1974, High Times has covered cannabis politics, health, culture, business, and cultivation. High Times has deep roots in the legalization movement, and though it started off as a lampoon, it has since become one of the most respected cannabis brands in the world. High Times made recent news when it was sold to a group of investors consisting of Damian Marley (Bob Marley’s youngest) and other pot advocates for $42 million in June 2017. High Times is the host of the premier trade show, Cannabis Cup. The High Times Cannabis Cup is held annually in states that have legalized cannabis for medicinal or recreational use in the USA and throughout the world. The primary purpose of the Cannabis Cup is to celebrate high-quality cannabis cultivation and the products yielded by those results. Since excellence is High Times’ modus operandi, potential growers should feel at ease trusting the magazine as a cultivation resource. Its section on cannabis growing features up to date information on the most modern and effective cultivation practices as well as guides novices can get started with.

420 Magazine

Another highly respected cannabis magazine, 420 provides readers with information covering a range of topics including a comprehensive bank of cultivation information. 420 Magazine was founded in 1993 and describes itself as the “largest Medical Marijuana media publication/organization available.” The magazine’s growing section includes grow journals, how to guides for beginners, seed and strain information, lighting information, pest and disease control advice, and forums. You can access the forum as a guest, but registering will give users full access to all of the forum’s features, including the important ability to post and respond to questions.

Bonus Source: Forums

For experienced and brand-new growers alike, forums are excellent places to learn and become a part of a community of cannabis cultivators. If you’ve got time to scroll through forum responses, discussion boards on websites like rollitup.org, thcfarmer.com, and forums.grasscity.com will lead you to grow tips that cover the spectrum of all things cannabis cultivation. These forums are great resources for those of you who are willing to experiment and/or who want advice tailored to your own experiences—ask a question, and your thread might blow up with responses. Sure, you’ll run into some trolls, but most people want to help. You can’t authenticate the veracity of the claims made by forum users (unless, of course, you see for yourself by applying the advice you receive), but you can assume that most people willing to participate in cannabis cultivation forums are doing so because they are serious about it.