Missguided Gardener

A Small CBD OIL company on the outskirts of Aiken aims to change the face of farming in South Carolina.

Story By Becca Edwards

Don’t be fooled by the name Missguided Gardener. Its founders and owners, James Wildasin and his wife, Alexandria Edwards-Wildasin, are not remotely aimless or imprudent. Their impressive and pioneering business venture combines years of research, schooling, hard work, hands-on work, and ingenuity. A seed-to-sale company located in the outskirts of Aiken, Missguided Gardener wants to de-stigmatize CBD (Cannabidiol) and change not only how CBD products are grown, manufactured and consumed, but, quite ambitiously, the face of farming in South Carolina.

**James Wildasin and Alexandria Edwards-Wildasin are the faces behind Missguided Gardener. All of their products are third party tested and have less than 0.3% THC.**

Potential pros of CBD

Reduction of inflammation and pain management and, therefore, less consumption of prescription painkillers.
Improved sleep for people suffering from insomnia.
Stress reduction for people suffering from anxiety.
Improved blood glucose control for diabetes patients.
Treatment of childhood epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Reduction of symptoms related to cancer and cancer treatment such as nausea.
Acne prevention.
The lowering of high blood pressure.
Decrease in Alzheimer’s and dementia symptoms.

Cons of CBD

Lack of research and regulation.
Lack of proper reporting of ingredients by many manufacturers.
The varying individual responses to CBD, making proper dosing regulation difficult.
Possible interactions with other medications like Coumadin.
Possible side effects like sleepiness and diarrhea.
Possible liver damage if consumed in very large quantities.

How will Missguided Gardener change how many view CBD?

It is because of the aforementioned cons — especially the lack of research, regulation, and proper reporting — that CBD used for medicinal or supplemental purposes has been met with resistance by many healthcare providers and policy makers. As for the public, a common misconception is that CBD products like sublingual tinctures, oils, edibles, or vape pens are tantamount to eating or smoking marijuana or “cannabis.” However, let’s clarify. Cannabis and hemp are, scientifically speaking, the same plant. They share the same genus, Cannabis, and the same species, Sativa. However, the difference comes with breeding, use and composition of various cannabinoids, namely delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC — a psychotropic chemical compound that produces a “high” effect — and CBD, which does not have a psychotropic effect.

“Marijuana has been bred all these years to have a high concentration of THC, whereas hemp’s profile is federally regulated to be less than 0.3 percent THC,” said Wildasin, who sells a THC-free product as well as a full spectrum product that is federally compliant. Both products contain a high concentration of pure CBD made from strictly the hemp flower and not the full plant including the stems and leaves like many other producers.

Strategically, Missguided Gardener endeavors to eliminate many of the cons and misconceptions about CBD by providing a multi-faceted, fully enclosed facility for certified medicinal CBD cultivation that, as Wildasin explained, “Is an all-inclusive, soil to oil” process that includes:

Germination
Cloning
Vegetation
Flowering
Harvest
Curing
Processing
Product creation
Shipping out of the building

The facility

Touring the facility is, well, trippy. You enter into it via a decontamination room run by a PLC, or programmable logic control, that controls every aspect of the building. “One door shuts and stays shut for one minute,” said Wildasin. “During that time, the decontamination room runs through a full air cycle. You put on a sterile uniform, undergo a bleach and alcohol wash and UV light treatment before a green light signals that the doors will open. Our product must be completely clean.” From there, things get even more high tech and groovy — and this is only phase one of three of Missguided Gardener’s masterplan. Here are some interesting facts about phase one:

Ten-thousand square feet and six self-sustaining rooms with state-of the art technology.
Digital interfacing with PLC to control humidity, temperature, PPM of CO2, soil moisture, water tank levels, pH/electrical conductivity of water, water flow and pressure, and electrical status.
Employee “chill room” completely up to code with American disability standards.
Impressive environmental impact facts such as a water demand of only 4,000 gallons a month (as compared to the several millions used in other farming practices).
It’s the first of its kind in the Southeast.

How will Missguided Gardener change the face of farming in South Carolina?

Wildasin, who graduated from Sewanee University with a degree in forestry and a minor in geology and hydrology, believes hemp farming could provide an economic boost for local farmers and sustainable alternatives to plastics and paper products. For this reason, Wildasin has been very active with the Department of Agriculture in influencing important legislation and policies, and educating growers across the state. Part of phase one includes an education greenhouse separate from the main facility where Wildasin and his staff can work hands on with farmers to teach them all the ins and outs of hemp cultivation both indoors and outdoors.

Missguided products

Also a graduate of Sewanee Univeristy, Edwards-Wildasin earned a degree in environmental science and arts and humanities minor in art. She is the director of the product division of Missguided Gardener, which means she not only decides which types of products they produce but the look and feel of their products. “I take product development very seriously,” began Edwards-Wildasin. “I know firsthand the benefits of CBD. I want people to get out of pain, sleep better, feel less stressed and experience all the benefits of CBD.” To do this, she has worked extensively with her husband to use only the highest quality hemp, and she has spent months in product design. “I want you to love not just what’s in our products but how they are packaged. I want you to want to leave it in its original packaging on your bedside table or bathroom sink.”

Right now, Missguided Gardener offers two main product lines: tinctures (1000 mg THC free oil and 1000 mg full spectrum) and a topical (the Gardener’s Salve with arnica and cinnamon). “We are looking forward to unveiling our new product lines we have been working on,” said Edwards-Wildasin. To learn more, you can visit missguidedgardener.com.