From a mountaintop of heirloom sativas to smoking fat blunts in Mendo Dope’s recording studio, we sent Leafly’s Lindsay MaHarry on a road trip deep into the Emerald Triangle for harvest season to get an up-close look at some of the most exciting genetics shaping the future of cannabis.
Heartrock Mountain Farm
The first stop was to Heartrock Mountain Farm, a second-generation family operation perched high above Mendocino’s Potter Valley, where rare, long-flowering sativas reign supreme. We trekked through fields of Swazi Gold, Chocolate Thai, Guadalajara, and Jade Skunk — their Afghan landrace cross — and an unbelievable collection of rare hazes.
Sticky Fields
Next, we hit Sticky Fields outside Willits, where towering weed divas mingle with vegetables and flowers in a glorious jungle of life. We explored a garden full of King’s Poison varieties, a King Louis × Durban Poison cross, alongside an array of Sticky’s beloved Mandarin Tart crosses.
Mendo Dope
We headed to kick it with Mendo Dope, the legendary growers and rappers behind Battle of the Trees, a competition where cultivators go head-to-head to see who can grow the biggest cannabis plants for their massive YouTube audience.
Their garden was bursting with towering specimens of Rose Fuel, Peach Headies, Purple Tangie, and Purple Headies, which just won the California State Fair homegrow competition.
Naturally, we rolled some fat blunts and headed into their on-site recording studio, packed with weed, memorabilia from their careers as weed rap legends, and even South Park versions of the crew, for an exclusive listen to their upcoming 20th-anniversary album.
Stay tuned for part two of our harvest coverage, where we link up with Humboldt Seed Co. and caravan into the region’s highest hills and deepest valleys, staying at a legendary hippie compound and harvesting giant colas under the full Harvest Moon.
In the meantime, check out our editor's picks for the best cannabis strains of 2026.
