When a grower like Comfrey enters the Dutch Passion Grow Diaries contest and walks away a winner with an all-organic living-soil outdoor run, you know the genetics delivered. Shaman feminised seeds from Dutch Passion have long been a favourite for outdoor growers who need a tough strain that can handle the unpredictable Northern European summer – rain, humidity swings, cold nights and occasional heatwaves. Comfrey’s journal shows what can be achieved in demanding outdoor conditions that many Northern European outdoor cannabis growers will know all too well.
Shaman contest-winning outdoor grow in living soil
Grow setup and living soil approach by Comfrey
Starting relatively/unusually late in mid-June, the Shaman plants faced the full force of a challenging Northern European season – hot early summer days, followed by a persistently wet and humid autumn with frequent rain, storms, high humidity (often 90–100 %), and cold nights dropping to just 4 °C.
Conditions that Northern European outdoor growers must cope with year after year. Shaman, with her ‘Born in the Dutch Climate’ genetics was selectively bred outdoors over several years in The Netherlands.
This gives her complete genetic adaptation to tough, cool conditions guaranteeing a harvest where many other strains would struggle. Despite these tough conditions, the resilient genetics and organic no-till method proved highly effective, requiring only minimal intervention.
Additional grower notes:
For outdoor growers with a short season, this was a fairly late start (mid-June). Despite this the plants still finished strongly with a decent yield. The open structure of Shaman proved her worth against mould and bud rot – exactly why these are considered some of the best outdoor cannabis seeds for Northern Europe. The journal photos showed a solid trichome covering on the buds despite the pounding from several heavy storms.
Fast, stress-free germination set the tone early
Textbook easy! Both cannabis seeds popped in a glass of water and went straight into small pots with the living-soil mix. Within days they were vigorous, green and showing zero stress despite the heat spikes.
Dutch Passion tip: Many growers see the best germination rates when germinating their weed seeds between two pieces of damp (never soaked!) cotton pads.
Rapid vegetative growth despite a late outdoor start
Extremely vigorous growth even with the late start. The plants quickly filled out and responded beautifully to training. Mulch kept moisture stable, and the organic teas prevented any real deficiencies.
Weekly highlights
- Weeks 1–3: Rapid height gains (7 cm → 15 cm → 22 cm) under long summer days.
- Week 4: First transplant to 16 L – roots already showing signs of wanting more space.
- Week 5: LST and HST applied; plants hit 43 cm and kept pushing.
- Weeks 6–8: Second transplant (No. 1 into 30 L). Weekly watering + top-dressings kept them happy. Minor miner flies noted but never became a problem thanks to nettle tea sprays.
Even with a late veg start, Shaman’s genetics can still deliver big plants if you give them space and organic nutrition early.
Dutch Passion tip: For the largest plants with the heaviest harvests germinate your cannabis seeds indoors during March/April in the northern hemisphere. Grow them inside under 18-24 hours of daily light. This allows your plants to reach a much larger size when they are ready to be planted outdoors around after the last frost (around mid-May in Northern Europe). For the best results, slowly acclimatise your plants to outdoor conditions for a few hours each day, slowly increasing the amount of time exposed to outdoor light/conditions.
Related:
Why Northern Europe needs specific outdoor cannabis seeds
Flowering held strong through relentless rain and humidity
Natural light reduction triggered flowering around week 10. The plants stretched nicely (final height ~157 cm) and developed a beautiful open structure that helped with airflow in the humid garden. Smell evolved from subtle to a lovely floral-fruity-woody profile. High humidity and rain were the main challenges, but daily checks and targeted defoliation kept losses minimal. Dry stress in the final weeks pushed trichome production noticeably higher.
Weekly highlights:
- Weeks 9–11: Flowering kicks in; magnesium deficiency on the smaller plant fixed with Epsom salts.
- Weeks 12–14: Heavy rain and storms – umbrella protection used. Minor powdery mildew and stem rot spots cut out immediately.
- Weeks 15–17: Cooler nights (down to 4 °C) and 90–100 % humidity. Final defoliation + dry stress increased resin. One or two small buds lost to rot, but overall, incredibly resilient.
I won’t leave the two standing for much longer… Overall, I find both to be very robust and resilient, especially considering that this summer and autumn have repeatedly been damp to wet.
Nevertheless, one should remain vigilant in this final phase and thoroughly inspect the plants. This way, the loss due to flower rot has been very minimal.
Dutch Passion tip: In wet Northern European autumns, check plants as often as practically possible. For guerrilla growers this requires great faith in their strain since plant checks may be infrequent. Cut away any rot early and ensure good airflow. Shaman’s open structure coupled with strong mould resistance makes this much easier than with certain dense indica genetic lines.
A strong harvest despite one of the wettest seasons in memory
Harvest came around early October (Erntedankfest weekend). Despite the wettest summer/autumn in memory, both Shaman ladies finished with excellent bag appeal and minimal losses.
Wet weight was ~500 g per plant; dry yield settled at 117.5 g per plant after careful drying. An impressive grow with living-soil and outdoor cannabis seeds in especially tough conditions. Despite that, Shaman thrived producing some beautiful red and purple hues in the buds. Trichomes appeared milky at harvest.
Weekly highlights:
The final week focused on daily inspections and protecting buds from constant dew and rain. Post-harvest the pots were immediately replanted with winter salads – true living-soil cycling!
The scent of the two Shaman ladies has intensified. They have become noticeably frostier and beautifully oily-resinous.
After I have already dried and vaped sample flowers, as well as brewed and consumed a strong cannabis tea from the flowers several times, I am confident that I can now harvest calmly at any time and expect a balanced effect.
It is a clear activating Sativa high that makes me cheerful and communicative but never loud, even with very high dosages in tea. The effect sets in slowly. A cheerful yawn is followed by a wake-up kick and a long-lasting high that gently brings me back.
Dutch Passion Tip: If the weather deteriorates predictably before early/mid-October then autoflower seeds may be a less risky option compared to feminised seed varieties. Autos will allow a mid-summer harvest without any quality compromise and are a smart choice if October weather is simply too unreliable.
Shaman harvest ratings by Comfrey
Dry yield
234g
Overall rating
★★★★★
Aroma
★★★★★
Taste
★★★★★
Effect
★★★★★
Bag appeal
★★★★★
The cultivation was a lot of fun and easier than I initially thought. Both plants needed a bit of attention towards the end. It is a robust outdoor variety with a captivating scent of wildflower meadow, fruity light sour notes and a pleasantly warm woody background.
Whether enjoyed as a tea infusion from decarboxylated flowers or vaped, it makes you alert, creative and sociable.
Ideal for old-school cannabis lovers for whom the new strong sativa strains are too loud and who want an activating, happy high ‘like back in the day’…
Overall rating: 5/5 (grower scored it 10/10 overall)
- Aroma: 5/5 – Bewitching wildflower meadow with fruity-sour notes and warm woody undertones
- Taste: 5/5 – Flowery, fruity, woody
- Effect: 5/5 – Creative, giggly, uplifted. Clear activating sativa high that’s happy and communicative, slow onset, long-lasting and never overwhelming
- Bag appeal: 5/5 – Frosty, oily and beautifully structured buds after dry stress
Final thoughts and bonus tips
Comfrey’s grow is proof that Dutch Passion Shaman feminised outdoor cannabis seeds are still one of the toughest, most reliable choices for Northern European conditions.
One of the most impressive aspects of this grow is how Shaman was able to crash through her growth cycle despite the late start in June! Imagine the results if the plants had benefitted from a month or two of indoor growth and been planted outdoors in mid-May.
Shaman shrugs off wet conditions like water off a duck’s back. She was selectively bred outdoors in The Netherlands to handle drenching rain and deliver that classic old-school soaring sativa high.
Bonus tips from the journal (and a few extra for living-soil outdoor growers):
- Mulch heavily – it saves watering and feeds the microbes.
- If extreme weather is forecast some growers erect a temporary tarpaulin shelter to protect their plants from the worst of the rain/heatwave.
- When defoliating to improve air flow use a very sharp razor or blade to make a clean cut, reducing the risk of rot/infection.
- Beneficial predator insects such as lady birds are always useful in the event of e.g. aphid outbreaks. Beneficial insects can be especially useful in greenhouses where natural predators may be absent, which can allow pest populations to explode if left unchecked.
- Save your trim and make “Space Tea” – Comfrey’s decarboxylated bud tea was a hit! Other growers save their trim for cannabis concentrates, hash, cannabis extracts, tinctures etc.
Huge congratulations to Comfrey on the well-deserved contest win and thanks for such a clean, educational outdoor journal. If you’re looking for tough outdoor weed seeds that thrive in real-world Northern European conditions, Shaman feminised seeds from Dutch Passion should be high on your list.
Checkout Grow Diaries website for the full Shaman grow log by Comfrey.
Happy growing!
New cannabis seeds!
