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Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
Just to clarify. Im not selling seeds. But PM me. I'll give you some.
Also. To our Aussie brothers. PM me. We're in this together and we are all from different branches from the same tree.
Hello DOC,
Just a few more pieces of information for you;

Whole Leaf Tobacco – Budget Manual Shredder 1.5mm wide cut - https://wholeleaftobacco.com/product/budget-manual-shredder-1-5mm-wide-cut/ - a tobacco leaf shredder for under $40

Making Black Cavendish Pipe Tobacco - https://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/making-black-cavendish-pipe-tobacco.637/ - how to make your own Cavendish at home - steaming process takes about 6 hours - use a metal colander and pot of boiling water...

Whole Leaf Tobacco – New Heavy Duty Shredder 0.8mm - https://wholeleaftobacco.com/product/new-heavy-duty-shredder-2/ - BIG tobacco leaf shredder for about $170.00 9if you are going to be shredding a lot...

I hope this extra information can help you and I hope I have not bothered or bored you with.

Edwin
 
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Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
Tobacco is a very easy plant... a weed. Deer leave it alone so it's about the only plant left I can grow.

Getting seedlings from seed is a bit of a pain. Still not hard, but a bit of a pain. However, tobacco *plants* are available online.

Curing ("fermenting") is a thing. However, it can be accomplished by aging for years.


So....

Everybody should get a few plants now. Stick them in a flower bed... anywhere. They'll grow without much soil preparation even (but not too well in a pot).

You'll try the tobacco fresh, everyone does. When you do and decide growing sucks and curing is rocket science, bundle those leaves loosely in a cardboard box and stick that in the basement.
Hello Dave,

The DEER leave it alone, But watch the rabbits. when the plant is still small the rabbits (at night) will attempt to eat the tender plant.
You can pee around (not on) the plant and the rabbits will allow it to get bigger - once tall enough and the actual tobacco flavor start they will leave it alone.

Check the thread again there is a lot more information.
Here is smoething on MAKING LATAKIA AT HOME. it might interest you...


Peace
Edwin
 

Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com

docpierce

Can't Leave
Feb 17, 2020
479
1,379
I know I can google and find this stuff out myself, but is there any specific kind of climate tobacco needs? I am currently in Southern England and the weather can be really mild here.
Yes. tobacco does quite well there.

Interestingly, I read recently that in the 17th century men in England grew quality tobacco. They wanted to avoid the rather steep tariffs. Some were able to pass it off as "real Virginian tobacco". They planted quite a bit of it. In fact it grew so well in Southern England that their efforts apparently threatened the tobacco cartel at the time. Those in charge at the time called out HM's army to destroy the crops. The farmers resisted.

I did my GOOGLES. But alack and alas, I failed to retrieve said article.
 

docpierce

Can't Leave
Feb 17, 2020
479
1,379
Hello Dave,

The DEER leave it alone, But watch the rabbits. when the plant is still small the rabbits (at night) will attempt to eat the tender plant.
You can pee around (not on) the plant and the rabbits will allow it to get bigger - once tall enough and the actual tobacco flavor start they will leave it alone.

Check the thread again there is a lot more information.
Here is smoething on MAKING LATAKIA AT HOME. it might interest you...


Peace
Edwin
You go Edwin! you're on fire with your GOGGLES! Good work.
 
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docpierce

Can't Leave
Feb 17, 2020
479
1,379
You can pee around (not on) the plant and the rabbits will allow it to get bigger - once tall enough and the actual tobacco flavor start they will leave it alone.
Yes. And there is an added bonus that you have (yet another) reason to urinate (standing up) out of doors.

Doing so might boost one's T levels.

A word advise: Do so out of eyesight of you wife. I can tell you form experience. See will never understand...no matter what the justifications. Mine simply resigns herself and slowly shakes her head in silent defeat.
 
Last edited:

Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
Yes. And there is an added bonus that you have (yet another) reason to urinate (standing up) out of doors.

Doing so might boost one's T levels.

A word advise: Do so out of eyesight of you wife. I can tell you form experience. See will never understand...no matter what the justifications. Mine simply resigns herself and slowly shakes her head in silent defeat.
Hello Doc,

Thank you for the advice, but my wife walked out on me years ago (after 27 years of marriage). She got the house ($100,000 house) and more.
GOD's will, must be fulfilled. Blessed is my GOD!
Edwin
 

docpierce

Can't Leave
Feb 17, 2020
479
1,379
Hello Doc,

Thank you for the advice, but my wife walked out on me years ago (after 27 years of marriage). She got the house ($100,000 house) and more.
GOD's will, must be fulfilled. Blessed is my GOD!
Edwin
I hear what you're saying Mr. Weaver. Those are the conditions that a man must contend with since the tyranny of feminism reared its ugly head. After 27 years of building a life, a man can be cheated out of his fortune, home and children on a whim of a woman.

A sobering reminder for us all.

On the bright side, you get to smoke your "stinky" pipes anywhere you like.
 

Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
I hear what you're saying Mr. Weaver. Those are the conditions that a man must contend with since the tyranny of feminism reared its ugly head. After 27 years of building a life, a man can be cheated out of his fortune, home and children on a whim of a woman.

A sobering reminder for us all.

On the bright side, you get to smoke your "stinky" pipes anywhere you like.
Doc,

That is not exactly true. The hypocritical society stills attempts to control me, but I will not be defeated!
I rent a room with a bath, but I am not allowed to smoke in the house. They have a garage they use for storage, so I have cleared a small area for me to sit and smoke my pipe (which they allow). However, over the last 4 months it has gotten very cold enjoying the only pleasure I have left in this life. When it was 12 degrees below zero I was sitting there with my pipe (shivering, but enjoying my pipe).
You can call me stupid, defiant, stubborn, or a dedicated pipe smoker, but I will not be defeated.
I ask my GOD to provide me with a place where I can smoke my pipe inside the place where I live. I know HE will, I just must be patient.

As for 'fortune' she got the a $100,000 house (which I had built to my specifications) with the furniture, the natural products business I developed and more, Yet she wanted more from me - a monthly allowance, which I defeated her on - the courts would not agree to give her that after everything else she got. As I told them, the natural products business can give her more than me giving her a monthly allowance. She ought to give me an allowance, but that was denied.

But I am still alive, so there is still hope. Perhaps GOD will have mercy on me and give me another business.

Edwin
 

davek

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 20, 2014
685
952
Dave,
Actually, the first year that you plant & harvest, you will reap what you sow! It won't take years.
About 35 years ago, I lived among the Amish in PA. they would grow their own tobacco. They would "air dry" their tobacco (hanging them in their barns). By winter they were smoking their own tobacco.
For Cavendish, they would use a large metal colander placed over a large pot of boiling water with the leaves (center stem removed) - watch your leaves, when they are dark enough for your tastes remove them (may need to keep taking them out of the colander and re-arranging them to steam them properly - but you can find instructions on the NET). After, stack them on each over, place a 'plank' ( a little larger than the leaves) on the leaves with about 5# on the plank. after they are dried again, remove the plank and slice into ribbons (they will be like a brick) and cut to your desired size.
In a few months from planting until your Cavendish is ready, you will have your own tobacco.
From one of the links you provided in a later post...
"Kiln fermenting
This is what the smaller grower must use if he or she wants to smoke the fruits of their harvest any time soon. The kiln is a small, insulated container with an artificial heat source that helps to simulate the fermentation. The leaves are placed in the kiln with the lid shut. Heat and humidity are carefully controlled (temp 100 to 130 degrees and 65 to 70% humidity), and the kiln is left on 24 hours a day. Kiln fermenting lasts about 4 to 6 weeks and the relative humidity must be carefully maintained during this time. A short aging period will follow of 4 to 6 weeks or longer until the leaves can either be rolled into cigars or cut for cigarette, pipe, or chewing tobacco. "

So, you can kiln, age, or ferment in piles (no one does that one).

If you don't want to build a kiln, you can age. Just making cavendish out of raw tobacco won't improve it much.
Most people kiln, and that is likely best, actually, but you have to build a kiln. I'll see if I can find an overview of what is going on and post it again.
 
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davek

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 20, 2014
685
952
This is from WLT's forum, fairtradetobacco.com. It is an excellent forum and an excellent company which sells whole leaf ready to smoke.

"Ammonia is created within the leaf during oxidation of the leaf's proteins. If there is no oxidation, then there is no ammonia produced. The oxidation is not caused by microbes or air, but by two oxidase enzymesstill present within the leaf after the lamina have died. Both require moisture to function in breaking down albuminous proteins and carbohydrates. One of the enzymes is destroyed if the leaf reaches 141°F, so is lacking in flue-cured leaf after it has been flue-cured. The more heat-stable enzyme survives and functions up to about 191°F. This second oxidase enzyme operates much more slowly than the first, but it is what permits flue-cured leaf to very slowly age. Once leaf has been heated above 191°F, it can no longer age. So toasted leaf and Cavendish or otherwise boiled or steamed leaf no longer has the ability to age in the sense that we understand tobacco aging.

"Sweating" is an imprecise term with many meanings. "Fermentation", likewise offers its own confusions. Both of them refer to conditions that allow the process of oxidation discussed in the previous paragraph. The leaf must have some moisture (is not completely dry), and must be at a temperature of about 60°F or higher. Since the oxidation reaction is temperature dependent, the higher the temp, the more rapidly the reaction runs (up to the point that the enzyme itself is cooked or denatured).

Cured leaf that is hanging in a humid shed or tobacco barn while temperatures rise (as in the springtime) will resume enzymatic oxidation. The rate of that oxidation tends to cycle with the ambient temperature. Once most of the proteins and carbs have been oxidized (incidentally releasing ammonia radicals from certain proteins), the rate slows dramatically, though it can continue for years at a snail's pace.

Cured leaf that is closely packed within bales or into piles (pilones) acts as its own insulation, so that the slight, chemical heat generated by the oxidation is trapped, increasing the oxidation rate and thereby generating even more heat. So baled or piled tobacco can warm itself (even to the point of starting a smoldering fire, if the conditions are just right). When this happens in bales, simply separating the individual bales with a slight air space will often be enough to slow or halt the process. When this occurs during intentional "fermentation" piles, the temperature is allowed to reach a previously decided max temp, at which the pile is broken down and reassembled, and the process started over again.

"Aging" of tobacco refers to exactly the same chemical process of oxidation. Once most of the work of oxidation has been completed, "aging" appears as a subtle, gradual process. But it's the very same thing happening (at a slower rate) as happens with "sweating" and "fermentation".

We often say things like "burley is not fermented," and "cigar leaf is always fermented." The only real difference is that most cigar varieties require a lot more oxidation to tame the proteins and carbohydrates, when compared to burley or other non-cigar varieties. "Fermenting" non-cigar varieties does not cause them to smell or taste like cigar varieties. Those distinct characteristics are inherent within the specific tobacco varieties.

Kilning
A kiln allows you to achieve the moisture and temperature conditions required for optimal oxidation rates. It's not dependent on bailing or creating 5000 pound piles, or waiting for the weather to be just right. The kiln enforces the humidity, and enforces the desired temperature. It's the same as "sweating" or "fermentation" or "aging". Once the leaf has mostly oxidized its proteins and carbohydrates, all that remains to be accomplished is a "resting" and "airing" period (days to weeks) in order to allow the newly created ammonia that is still dissolved within the moisture of the leaf lamina to dissipate into the air. Allowing the leaf to completely dry (go out of case) can speed this process of ammonia evaporation. The leaf, of course, needs to be brought back into low case prior to handling.

If kilned or "sweated" or "fermented" or "aged" tobacco has an ammonia smell, it means that additional oxidation has taken place."
 
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davek

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 20, 2014
685
952
So, enzymes break down proteins in raw tobacco which do not taste nice given any moisture at all. Heat accelerates this up to about 141F. Temps above that kill the enzymes. It'll happen very slowly with aging, and in about 6 weeks with kilning. 'snot rocket surgery. ;)
 

Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
From one of the links you provided in a later post...
"Kiln fermenting
This is what the smaller grower must use if he or she wants to smoke the fruits of their harvest any time soon. The kiln is a small, insulated container with an artificial heat source that helps to simulate the fermentation. The leaves are placed in the kiln with the lid shut. Heat and humidity are carefully controlled (temp 100 to 130 degrees and 65 to 70% humidity), and the kiln is left on 24 hours a day. Kiln fermenting lasts about 4 to 6 weeks and the relative humidity must be carefully maintained during this time. A short aging period will follow of 4 to 6 weeks or longer until the leaves can either be rolled into cigars or cut for cigarette, pipe, or chewing tobacco. "

So, you can kiln, age, or ferment in piles (no one does that one).

If you don't want to build a kiln, you can age. Just making cavendish out of raw tobacco won't improve it much.
Most people kiln, and that is likely best, actually, but you have to build a kiln. I'll see if I can find an overview of what is going on and post it again.
Good Morning Dave,
I believe this is what you are talking about. I posted the link yesterday or the day before. Now, I will do a copy-paste;

Curing Tobacco Leaves
Portable tobacco curing chamber fully assembled
Why should I cure my tobacco?
Curing tobacco is a means of removing any unpleasant smell that uncured tobacco has. You can smoke your tobacco without curing it if you don't mind the smell (not unlike herbal tobacco), but I'd advise against it. Curing tobacco doesn't take long and vastly improves the smell.

During my younger years, it was common practise of mine to pick up the ripened brown tobacco leaf that had fallen from the lower stem onto the ground, roll it into a cigarette and smoke it. Other allotment holders would sample the leaf with enjoyment. I don't know if it was the oudoor air, but no unpleasant smell spoilt the smoke.

I would further mention that one particular year I was late pulling up the stems after removing all the large leaf. It was after a frost had turned all the small leaf on the plant dark brown. I tried to see if this brown tobacco leaf could be smoked: it could, with a very strong cigar flavour for both Havana and Virginia. I have never followed this idea through, but how about one of you readers of this site giving it a try?

My next attempt at curing tobacco required a greenhouse. I calculated that it would require the whole of the British summer to cure the leaf. Because of this the curing took place the following summer after growing the crop. The principle was to suspend a platic sheet holding water near the top of the greenhouse. A small fan blew across the water, raising the humidity in the air. This system worked and is shown in my instructions, but I needed a system that would work much faster. I am impatient by nature and after months of growing I needed results and a smoke that wouldn't have heads turning whenever I lit up.

To cure your tobacco leaves, you'll need a tobacco curing chamber. You should avoid using wooden tobacco curing chambers as the smell of the wood will be absorbed into the tobacco. Further down this page I give full instructions for building your own portable tobacco curing chamber, just like the one in the picture above, that will cure 18 kilos (40 pounds) of tobacco leaves in just 4 weeks. This should cost you no more than about £50 / $75 using materials from boot sales or about £100 / $US150 using new materials and equipment. This chamber can be scaled up or down depending on the size of your tobacco crop.

Historical info
Hundreds of years ago, tobacco was smoked in pipes or was ground into snuff to be rubbed into the gums. Tobacco curing was unheard of. Tobacco wasn't smoked as cigarettes until cheap paper became available. The tobacco smoked back then must have smelled because it hadn't been cured.

The first clues to curing tobacco came from the old sailing ships that brought tobacco to Europe from the West Indies. The ships were in at sea for several weeks with tobacco on board. They were also in port for two or three weeks while the tobacco was loaded and unloaded. The heat and humidity were high and together with the salt air caused a natural fermentation in the bails of tobacco. By the time the tobacco reached our shores it was partially cured. From this, many different techniques for curing tobacco have been developed.



The copy-paste is too long so I will do it in portions....
 

Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
Good Morning Dave,
I believe this is what you are talking about. I posted the link yesterday or the day before. Now, I will do a copy-paste;

Curing Tobacco Leaves
Portable tobacco curing chamber fully assembled
Why should I cure my tobacco?
Curing tobacco is a means of removing any unpleasant smell that uncured tobacco has. You can smoke your tobacco without curing it if you don't mind the smell (not unlike herbal tobacco), but I'd advise against it. Curing tobacco doesn't take long and vastly improves the smell.

During my younger years, it was common practise of mine to pick up the ripened brown tobacco leaf that had fallen from the lower stem onto the ground, roll it into a cigarette and smoke it. Other allotment holders would sample the leaf with enjoyment. I don't know if it was the oudoor air, but no unpleasant smell spoilt the smoke.

I would further mention that one particular year I was late pulling up the stems after removing all the large leaf. It was after a frost had turned all the small leaf on the plant dark brown. I tried to see if this brown tobacco leaf could be smoked: it could, with a very strong cigar flavour for both Havana and Virginia. I have never followed this idea through, but how about one of you readers of this site giving it a try?

My next attempt at curing tobacco required a greenhouse. I calculated that it would require the whole of the British summer to cure the leaf. Because of this the curing took place the following summer after growing the crop. The principle was to suspend a platic sheet holding water near the top of the greenhouse. A small fan blew across the water, raising the humidity in the air. This system worked and is shown in my instructions, but I needed a system that would work much faster. I am impatient by nature and after months of growing I needed results and a smoke that wouldn't have heads turning whenever I lit up.

To cure your tobacco leaves, you'll need a tobacco curing chamber. You should avoid using wooden tobacco curing chambers as the smell of the wood will be absorbed into the tobacco. Further down this page I give full instructions for building your own portable tobacco curing chamber, just like the one in the picture above, that will cure 18 kilos (40 pounds) of tobacco leaves in just 4 weeks. This should cost you no more than about £50 / $75 using materials from boot sales or about £100 / $US150 using new materials and equipment. This chamber can be scaled up or down depending on the size of your tobacco crop.

Historical info
Hundreds of years ago, tobacco was smoked in pipes or was ground into snuff to be rubbed into the gums. Tobacco curing was unheard of. Tobacco wasn't smoked as cigarettes until cheap paper became available. The tobacco smoked back then must have smelled because it hadn't been cured.

The first clues to curing tobacco came from the old sailing ships that brought tobacco to Europe from the West Indies. The ships were in at sea for several weeks with tobacco on board. They were also in port for two or three weeks while the tobacco was loaded and unloaded. The heat and humidity were high and together with the salt air caused a natural fermentation in the bails of tobacco. By the time the tobacco reached our shores it was partially cured. From this, many different techniques for curing tobacco have been developed.



The copy-paste is too long so I will do it in portions....


Drying and Colour Curing
The first stages in curing your tobacco leaves are the drying and colour curing of your tobacco to remove moisture and turn the leaf brown. Your tobacco leaves are about 90% moisture, so while each plant can give you 1 kilo (2 pounds) of tobacco leaves, the dried weight is only about 100 grams. Whilst drying, Virginia tobacco leaves will turn yellow and then brown. Green stemmed tobacco plants such as Havanna take longer to colour change and tend to go straight from green to brown.

Commercial tobacco companies put their tobacco leaves in large open-ended barns to allow the warm breeze to blow through and draw off the moisture. For the home grower, you can hang your tobacco leaves on canes or galvanised wire in a car port or other sheltered outdoor area. I normally hang my tobacco under overhead grapevines which shelter the tobacco leaves from the rain.

You can dry your tobacco indoors, but control the temperature carefully to avoid drying the tobacco too quickly. If you dry your tobacco too quickly, some of the green pigment may remain. The drying and colour curing of your tobacco is complete when the tobacco leaves have turned brown, and the mid-rib is bone dry and brittle.

There is no quick way to dry out your tobacco leaves. Ovens, microwaves and freezers do not really help and the best way to dry and colour cure your tobacco is to dry it naturally. You can speed up the process slightly by crushing the mid-rib, but be warned that the sap in the mid-rib is like an acid to the other tobacco leaves. If you crush the mid-rib, you must hang your tobacco up within a couple of hours.

Another way to speed up the drying and colour change process of your tobacco leaves is to stack them and cover them with a blanket or a rug to keep the heat in. The tobacco leaves will then sweat like compost, which speeds up the colour change. The pile needs turning daily, with the inner leaves moved to the outside. Damp leaves will need to be allowed to dry off before being put back into the pile. After about 5 days, the tobacco leaves can be hung out to dry as normal.

You could also lay the tobacco leaves out on the grass on a hot sunny day and they will dry within hours. Depending on the temperature, the humidity and the breeze, green leaves will turn yellow or yellow/brown, and yellow leaves will turn brown. You may be lucky enough to have green leaves turn completely brown. The main drawback to this method is that because the leaves are drying, they are losing their moisture. This makes them much lighter and one small gust of wind can carry your dried tobacco leaves away.

Building a Tobacco Curing Chamber and Curing Your Tobacco
Over the many years that I've been growing tobacco, I've experimented with many different methods of curing tobacco. As a result of this experience, I can now provide you with instructions for building your own very cheap and very effective portable tobacco curing chamber. This will cure about 18 kilos (40 pounds) of tobacco leaves in as little as 4 weeks and should cost you no more than £100 / $US150 using new materials and equipment, or half that if you use second-hand materials and equipment.

The aim of curing tobacco is to sweat the obnoxious smell from the tobacco leaves. To make tobacco leaves sweat you need to create a warm and humid environment. My portable tobacco curing chamber is ideal for this.

Tobacco curing chamber partially assembled showing the heater
For the sides of the tobacco curing chamber, I used sheets of 2-inch thick polystyrene. 3 sheets of 8ft x 4ft polystyrene will be enough to build a tobacco curing chamber measuring 1 metre square by 1 and a half metres high. This cost me about £29 (US$50) from my local hardware store. You can build a smaller curing chamber if you don't have much space, but you won't be able to cure as much tobacco.

To provide heat, I used an oil-filled electric heater. This ideally needs to run at a constant 130°f (54.5°C).You will find most oil-filled electric heaters will have thermostats set to cut out at much lower temperatures. You should be able to replace the thermostat on oil filled radiators with a clamp-on water heater thermostat. These cost about £12 (US$18) from your local hardware store. You can heat at lower temperatures, but your tobacco will take much longer to cure.

Moisture needs to be raised inside the tobacco curing chamber to keep the leaf flexible but not wet. A humidifier is ideal for this. Humidifiers are little more than water tanks with a fan to blow a fine mist of water into the air. Mine holds 6 litres of water and uses 5 litres every 24 hours.

Haning tobacco in the tobacco curing chamber
Hold the base, sides and top of the curing chamber together with double sided carpet tape or other strong tapes. Cut an opening in one side to act as a door. Use tape as a hinge to keep the door closed.

Finally, drill a 2 inch hole at the base of the chamber to allow fresh air in and another hole near the top to allow the smell to escape. If you fit a length of hose from the top hole to outdoors then the smell can escape without affecting your home.

When the unpleasant smell has gone, your tobacco has cured and is ready to smoke, although leaving your tobacco to mature over the years will improve the tobacco flavour. The whole tobacco curing process should take about 4 weeks. The cost of running the curing chamber is minimal as the chamber is made from thick polystyrene which will retain heat. The thermostat on the heater inside the curing chamber will cut in and out only as required, so only minimal heat is required. Humidifiers cost very little to run.

I hope this helps everyone.
 

Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
I know I can google and find this stuff out myself, but is there any specific kind of climate tobacco needs? I am currently in Southern England and the weather can be really mild here.
Good Morning Doc Rameous,

This is a follow-up message - here is a link and they even talk about growing in England .. Growing Your Tobacco Seeds from Plantation House - https://www.coffinails.com/growing.html

Growing Your Own Tobacco
Is it easy to grow my own tobacco ?
Yes, but the tobacco plants require only a little more care and attention than some other plants. Follow the very clear instructions provided with every pack of tobacco seeds, enhanced by feed back from existing customers, and your success is guaranteed. After your first crop of tobacco, the second will benefit from your experiences and the seeds will have acclimatised to your local soil.

4 week old tobacco seedlings - Havana top, Virginia below
How do I grow these plants ?
Tobacco seeds initially require temperatures of 70-80°F, so start growing them in a propogator. Alternatively, you can place a covered seed tray in a warm cupboard for 7 to 10 days. Once at the seedling stage, a recommended 55°F is required to bring them on. You may wish to transplant the seedlings into small pots and keep them indoors for this stage. For 10-12 weeks after this period, they are grown outside (in frost free conditions) as normal. Every pack of tobacco seeds comes with instructions which are designed for ease of use and are simple to follow.

What type of soil do I need ?
Most soils will suit your plants, with the exception of heavy clay which needs breaking up with peat. Tobacco even thrives on poor sandy soil where other plants often fail. Plenty of water must be available as tobacco plants are a thirsty crop. You will find that your second year's crop will adjust to your soil and conditions and often produce better tobacco.

How much space will I require?
A soil area of approximately 1 metre by 8 metres will be able to sustain 50 plants, producing enough tobacco for well over 5,000 cigarettes.

What equipment do I need ?
As mentioned, you will require a propagator, unless you have outdoor temperatures of 22°C to 27°C. You will also need land to plant out - your garden will do just fine. Ideally you could use a greenhouse for a simple, effective and inexpensive way to cure your tobacco. If you do not have a greenhouse, you can follow our instructions to build a curing chamber with a floor area of 1m², which cures 40lb tobacco in as little as 4 weeks. See our curing page for more information about curing chambers which can be scaled up or down depending on the size of your crop.

Do climate and weather conditions matter ?
The British climate is ideal for tobacco growth and hotter climates present no problem. However, much colder environments do run a risk of some crop failure, so please bear this in mind - Iceland be warned! If you take care with your first crop, then your second and successive crops should acclimatise to your local climate. In high wind areas the plants should be staked out, and in very wet areas plant on raised ridges to allow for drainage.

I hope this helps you and everyone else

Edwin
 
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Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
114
294
Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
I reckon one thing which home growers' are unable to achieve is Fire Curing at least, in small quantities
Good Day Paul,

It is great to talk to you again. The Old man with a pipe sends his greetings to a friend in Europe.
Actually Paul, it can be done on a smaller scale as the thread I shared about 'curing' the idea is similar...
To produce fire cured tobacco, low burning fires are lit on the floor of the barn where the tobacco is hung so that the tobacco is infused with smoke. The fires must be monitored so they don’t burn out and maintained to give off just the right amount of smoke, without too much heat. This process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and produces tobacco that is darker in color than that produced by other curing methods. The fire cured tobacco is low in sugar and high in nicotine in contrast to tobacco which has been air cured and is lighter in color and with virtually no sugars left in the leaves.

The process of fire curing tobacco produces a leaf that is darker and more aromatic than air curing. The art of fire curing takes anywhere from a few days to possibly a few weeks, as opposed to flue curing, which takes about a month, air curing which can take up to 8 weeks, and sun curing is just up to Mother Nature. Fire curing is more able to be controlled to produce a consistent end product.

but if want to skip the hassle of making a small shed you can purchase "fire cured" from various places like; Dark Fire Cured Tobacco Leaf - Red Herring Tobacco Leaf, used for pipe, fronto, grabba - https://www.leafonly.com/fronto-leaf/tobacco-leaves/dark-fire-cured-tobacco-leaf they will sell you a quarter pound sample or a full pound. Which is what I do now if I want any 'fire cured' tobacco to add to my blends. Works well.
another place is; Giant Dark Fire-Cured - Tobacco Leaves-Loose leaf and Scrap Tobacco-Pipe Tobacco and Smoking Mixtures-Native American Art and Images - https://www.grandfathersspirit.com/Giant-Dark-Fire-Cured-Tobacco-Leaves.html they also will sell a quarter pound or a full pound.
There is a good place to check in England that might help you to produce it on a small scale - they show a picture of how someone use an old stand-up soda cooler and converted it to make a curing chamber. There are ways, if you really want 'fire cured'. I did it in Colombia, so it can be done.

Edwin (aka Old man with a pipe)
 
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Edwin Weaver

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 4, 2019
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Living in Wisconsin
pipe-smoker.com
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