Beginner’s guide to growing marijuana at home in Colorado

By now, Colorado gardeners are hard at work preparing their soil and remediating their snow-sick lawns in hopes of procuring a bountiful harvest later this year. For those who are still undecided on exactly what to plant, may I suggest adding a different kind of herb to your garden: cannabis.

When Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, it also legalized home-growing. According to state law, any person age 21 or older is allowed to grow up to six plants at a time in an enclosed area at a private residence. Local laws may have stricter stipulations — for example, the city of Denver limits home-growing to 12 plants total regardless of how many people live at one location — but, in general, it’s permissible to cultivate your own stash.

And because weed plants grow like,…