harvesting question

should i dry my bud on a patio table on open free air

It's suggested that you dry your herb in a dark, dry place. Light degrades THC, especially sunlight. It's not a very stable molecule. CBD (Cannabidiol) break down into THC, and THC breaks down into CBN (Cannabinol). That why you gotta look at the color of the trichs to determine if you have reached the point of diminishing returns (time to harvest). If you left it in the sun too long, you would lose some THC, which would break down into CBN - the part which is believed to be responsible for weeds depressive effect.

Do not dry your buds outside, unless it is in total darkness. An interesting technique I read about recently is to expose the buds to indirect light for 12 hours the first week of drying. This allows the plant to expend all of its' cholophyl (the green in the bud) and makes the smoke smoother. I'm going to try it on my next harvest.

im doing that new dry method, i let it hang for 24 hours, then i put it in a plastic bag for 12 hours and hung it up again for 12 hours and bagged for 6 hours, and continue this for 3-4 days, every time i take it out of the bag i can smell the strong chloriform smell, but when it hangs after it goes back to awesome bud smell. i think this new dry process is pretty good. i just put my stuff in jars this morning. weeeee