So far, all the marijuana sold in Massachusetts’ legal market has been grown indoors. But that could change.

The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday approved the first two provisional licenses for companies that plan to grow marijuana outdoors in the Berkshires. The licenses went to Theory Wellness and BCWC, both medical marijuana companies that are also growing indoors.

Brandon Pollock, CEO of Theory Wellness, said the company is partnering with Sheffield farmer Ted Dobson to start a pilot program to test whether marijuana can grow outdoors in Massachusetts.

“Part of the legislative mandate is to have farmers participate. Until now, no farmers have,” Pollock said. “We’re hoping to help everyone in that respect and show that it can be done.”

Pollock notes that this would be the first time marijuana would be grown outdoors to supply the legal cannabis market on the East Coast. “We hope to have the first outdoor farm up and running in a matter of months,” he said.

Theory Wellness operates medical marijuana dispensaries in Bridgewater and Great Barrington. It sells to the recreational market in Great Barrington and has applied for a license to sell in Chicopee. The company grows its marijuana indoors in Bridgewater.

BCWC, a company formerly known as Bristol County Wellness Center that is trying to change its name to Nova Farms, is building a shop to sell medical and recreational marijuana in Attleboro.

It received a provisional license to grow outdoors in a 70,000- to 80,000-square-foot space also in Sheffield. The company is also applying for licenses to grow indoors in Attleboro.

President and CEO Derek Ross has a license to grow hemp in Maine, and hopes to use the same operating procedures to grow marijuana in Sheffield. Ross said the farm could be the biggest outdoor growing facility for marijuana on the East Coast. He hopes to distribute his products to other marijuana shops in Massachusetts.

Dobson, who is working with Theory Wellness, has long been an advocate for farmers who want to get involved in growing marijuana for the legal market in Massachusetts.

“I’m a 35-year organic greens and vegetable farmer and this has always been a dream of mine to grow cannabis without looking over my shoulder,” Dobson said.

Dobson said he believes his organically grown outdoor cannabis is more natural than cannabis grown in an indoor, hydroponic growing facility. He said people should have the chance to smoke cannabis that was organically grown on a farm.

“I believe the crop should be farmed, not locked down in factories, which is how most cannabis is currently being grown,” Dobson said.

Pollock said the appeal of outdoor growing for a company like Theory Wellness is to reduce its environmental impact and grow more supply in a cost-effective way.

The biggest challenge, he said, is the weather. There is a risk of losing crops to hail, strong winds or rain, or to mold.

“With an indoor grow, we have the light cycle, humidity and temperature controlled perfectly all the time,” Pollock said. “We have none of that control when you’re growing outdoors.”

Pollock said Dobson will start growing on a two-acre site, with the goal of harvesting his first crop in October, so it could be sold in Theory Wellness stores by November.

Ross said similarly that outdoor cultivation is the most energy-efficient way to grow marijuana. “With the energy efficiency regulations in the state of Massachusetts, it just makes sense to grow sun-grown cannabis specifically for cannabinoid production,” he said.

He agreed that weather is the biggest challenge to growing in New England. “The cold temperature and the high humidity is a big challenge,” Ross said.

Ross said he plans to grow organically using traditional agricultural methods and would like to start planting in June.

He thinks there is a potentially big market, since the state did not have a large medical marijuana market before it allowed for adult use, and it will take time for supply to meet demand. “I believe there’s going to be a supply crunch for cannabis now that we’re in the adult use market and there’s not a lot of cultivators to supply the demand to that adult use,” Ross said.