Growing cannabis is a lot of fun, and if you wish to break free and try your hand at cultivation, a number of breeders are doing the work to make world-class genetics available in seed form through Oregon’s dispensaries.
The offerings are impressive and span heritage, Pacific Northwest staples, bioregion-specific cultivars for the backyard hobbyist, medically-minded chemovars, cup-winning contemporary designivars, and connoisseur-class flavors for discerning recreational audiences.
Massive Seeds
Lemon Pineapple, bred by Massive Seeds and grown by Roganja. (Matt Stangel for Leafly)
The third-generation Oregonian cannabis growers behind Massive Seeds have farmed the same plot of land in the Rogue Valley since 1975. The operation is full-sun, native soil, and reliant on living organics.
Since the early days, the farmers Massive have incorporated cultivars bred in and for the bioregion—like the fruit-scented, modern-genetics backbone that is DJ Short’s Blueberry; bred in a closet in Eugene back in the late 1970s. Carrying the torch into the present day, Massive Seeds was established in 2010 within the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, and now contributes to the state’s adult-use market by way of the recreational iteration of the family farm, presently dubbed Roganja.
Crosses like the Rogue Blue Cheese and Jager OG are created once a year in full sun, as has been Massive’s tradition for decades. The resulting seed lines are an excellent choice for the backyard enthusiast grower, offering a pedigree of full-flavor cultivars bred to resist local pests, as well as survive the inevitable tests of foul weather, while still rivaling the bag appeal of indoor.
Buy it now:Satchel in Portland
Archive Seed Bank
Flower: Do-Si-Dos #22, grown by Archive/Burnside Garden Collective. (Matt Stangel for Leafly)
Archive Seed Bank is commonly regarded in grower and breeder circles as one of the industry’s leading genetic preservationist collectives. For decades, the network of growers and seed makers have gathered rare, elite, and difficult-to-locate clone-only cuts—going direct to a chemovar’s verified originator to gather legit examples of some of the finest weed in the world.
To make these clone-only exotics available in seed form, Archive’s original breeding stud was a backcrossed Face/Off OG male known for imparting deep fuel terps and potent THC concentrations. Numerous connoisseur-quality chemovars have been conceived in Archive’s stables using this male’s pollen—perhaps most recognizably, modern-cannabis classic Do-Si-Dos.
Archive’s most recent lineup focuses in on the crowd-pleasing Do-Si-Dos as its new stud, and the resulting crosses represent the next frontier of connoisseur fuel.
Buy it now:Archive Portland in Portland
Homegrown Natural Wonders
(Matt Stangel for Leafly)
Before Odie Diesel created Oregon Diesel through a happenstance pollination of NYC Diesel by a hermaphroditic Blackberry, the patriarch of multi-generational, father-and-sons medical grow and breeding operation Homegrown Natural Wonders made seeds only sometimes and mostly to keep his garden going.
But when this lucky cross began taking home cups at local medical competitions, Odie’s in-house genetics became in-demand amongst those in the know. Eventually, Odie folded his Oregon Diesel into heritage favorites of the Pacific Northwest, like Trainwreck—resulting in Tardis—and these delicacies were distributed by third-party wholesalers and retailers.
In 2014, Homegrown Natural Wonders established itself as an independent breedership and wholesaler. Nowadays, HNW’s genetics are made available to Oregon’s recreational market through a licensing arrangement with Dog House Farms, keeping a fading era of Oregon flavors alive for today’s hobbyist growers.
Buy it now:Satchel in Portland
Dynasty Genetics
Flower: Birds of Paradise, bred by Dynasty Genetics and grown by Deep Creek Gardens. (Matt Stangel for Leafly)
Dynasty Genetics’ breeding program dates back to the 1990s when Professor P, Dynasty’s founder and proprietor, began crossing heritage Oregon strains like the Blue Magoo to create flowers with pain-relief properties for a friend. It wasn’t long before the Professor found himself developing cannabis alternatives for a variety of medical conditions.
In a years-long process refining an alternative treatment for a young patient suffering from seizures associated with autism, Dynasty arrived at a chemovar dubbed Divina Obscura—named as such after the young patient’s symptoms improved and she began to advance her communication skills, using a whiteboard to express poetic insights into her inner feelings: “the divine mask,” she one day wrote, which was translated to Latin to reflect the language of miracles.
Astounding tales aside, Dynasty—which produces seeds and flower examples of their lineup through their recreational farm, Deep Creek Gardens—has also established itself as one of the finest breeders of connoisseur flavors on the Oregon market. Their Salmon River OG is a personal favorite, which packs in a bright, rosy scent and taste.
Buy it now:Satchel in Portland
Compound Genetics
Flower: Purple Apricot, bred by Compound Genetics and grown by High Latitude Farms. (Matt Stangel for Leafly)
From the sleek digital branding to the data-driven breeding program, Compound Genetics represents the now-est vision of consumer-available cannabis genetics that we can imagine. Breeders can finally look under the hood to see what makes our chronic tick thanks to improved lab access, and by doing so, a whole new world of experiences and flavors awaits.
Compound is at the edge of this future, analyzing and breeding for uncommon cannabinoid and terpene combinations, while upholding aroma and flavor as central pillars to the seeds they make.
Exotic aromatics like Compound’s Purple Apricot—a delicious citrus treat—have been making their way to Oregon dispensaries in flower form over the last year, and from what we’ve seen, we’d be proud to run Compound’s gear in our tents.
Buy it now: Coming soon to Five Zero Trees locations across Oregon.
