Grow Your Own Tobacco?

[bentmike]

I saw a tobacco field growing in southern Ohio down by the river. Farthest north I've ever seen it so some strains must do well in milder climates. I wish I would have taken a picture of it. It looked awesome, like romanza's pic.

 

[spartan]

Would someone like to explain the process of letting the tobacco plant "go to seed"
How long does that take?

How do you know when to harvest the seeds?

Where are the seeds located?

Do you have to wait to plant them or can they be planted right after harvesting if the weather/season allows time?

How do you actually harvest the seeds?

 

[stephendownie]

Going to seed involves just letting the flowers bloom and not pinching them off. Pinching your flowers off will let your plant put more energy into the leaves and they will be a fair bit bigger. The flowers will turn into little dry brown pods on top of the plant and can be picked off once they are dried and brown. I keep them in a little plastic container in the workshop with the lid off. This way if there is any moisture in the pods they can dry off and not mould. Inside each pod are a huge number of brown seeds about a third the size of a poppy seed, just tear open the pod and they will come spilling out. Planting the seeds begins the next spring, the month depends on where about you are. I plant mine in early march in a sunny window to get the seedlings started.

 

[spartan]

How would one obtain tobacco seeds?
Is there a prefered site/catalog that you use?
Edit: I had a crazy thought... It'd be kinda cool if someone went all crazy Johnny Appleseed all over the place, but with tobacco plants? Just spread them everywhere. It'd be a cool thing to witness if all across the USA you hear news reports of TOBACCO PLANTS POPPING UP ACROSS THE NATION!
We could call this movement,
"American TobySeed" :rofl:

 

[bakerbrett741]

There was an interesting documentary on tobacco (here in the U.S.) that showed some of the growing process. I think it was called: Cigarette wars. I think it was an NBC production. It showed one of the few guys left i the U.S. that brokers Kentucky Burley Tobacco. It showed how you have to "dead head" the bloom and how they hung it to cure it. Climate conditions were also discussed. This is tobcco for cigarettes, but some of the growing process has to be similar. The blends are different, pipe tobacco is treated with a food based casing that gives it the flavor and aroma. Pipe tobacco is not cut as fine as cigarette tobacco. Cigarette tobacco is treated with a batch of chemicals. What food based castings you treat it wih, I would have to research.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brYirnEKsh4

 

[darryl]

I have only just discovered this conversation. I am planning to grow some tobacco do this summer. (I am in the southern hemisphere, so it is currently the middle of winter here.)
I have been seriously researching home growing, curing and blending since I rejoined the Brotherhood of the Briar a few months ago. What I have learned so far has been fascinating.
I have noticed there seems to be something of an unholy alliance between the anti tobacco lobby and the tobacco industry when it comes to telling us that home growing is beyond the capabilities of most of us mere mortals. So often we are told you need to be in a hot climate to grow tobacco. Well tobacco is grown in Ireland and Scotland. They are only tropical in the literal meaning of the word, i.e. very wet.
We are also often told it is extremely difficult to cure tobacco. However, I recently read ‘Grow Better Baccy’, a 1948 British home gardener’s guide to growing and curing tobacco, which indicates it is not that difficult at all. Given this booklet appears to be out of copyright, I have taken the liberty of scanning it. Please send me your email address if you would like me to send you a copy. It is a PDF file and is approximately 6 MB in size.
I already have some Virginia and Havana seeds, and I know where I can get some Burley seeds. I plan to air cure the Virginia and Havana, and I have read a 6:1 ratio mixture of Virginia and Havana makes a good pipe blend, so I can try making that and some straight Virginia.
If I grow some Burley as well, I could experiment with fire curing (Manuka smoked tobacco anyone?) - and maybe even see if I can replicate the Perique process, but using Burley instead? But I am getting ahead of myself here.
Finally, I have created a group on this site, for people who want to discuss home growing, curing and blending: http://pipesmagazine.com/groups/home-growing-curing-and-blending

 

[spartan]

It only took my 2 months of trial and error, and cat-related incidents(they kept eating my sproutlings) and it looks like I'm in business.
I finally just decided to throw the remaining seeds I got from a member here into a pot and leave it outside forever because something would always go wrong trying to get the seeds to germinate in my home.

When they get bigger I'll figure out what the hell I'm going to do with em. They're some sort of virginia. I've got no clue what I'm doing but I love to watch things grow. Should be fun! ::

 

[vinvin]

This is the place I might buy from if I decide to try some growing of my own!
http://www.tobaccoseed.ca/

 

[gray4lines]

I grew some this past summer; I was planning on just sun-curing and rolling some ugly cheroots, BUT they got a eaten up by aphids... But it was fairly easy to grow, just water a lot.
I had to grow em in pots and wasn't sure what would happen, but they grew pretty big (2.5 ft or so). I will definitely try again. Probably easier when I'm not in an apartment! haha

 

[shawn622]

My mom gave me a half an acre of her farm land to grow tobacco next season. I have been reading up on it. There is a lot more to it than just planting a seed and cutting down the plant at the end of the season. I'll probable grow a couple of VA strains and a little Burley.

 

[potter]

I tried growing tobacco once while I was in the college dorms. It was quite a riot explaining to friends and other people who came through our room what was growing under my bed with a grow light. Luckily i was good friends with the RA and the RD just simply never found out
The tobacco grew alright but there wasn't enough light and air movement. Similar to gray the aphids took over some of my plants but I managed to get rid of them. I tried the tobacco after drying (which took months) and it was pretty nice. Slightly sweet and herbal tasting.

 

[kashmir]

I'm starting this spring (this weekend). Got the seeds, starter trays, dirt. All set to go. Wish me luck.

 

[yazamitaz]

Yeah, about that Semois ................

 

[chum202]

I think tobacco just thrive in their predefined climate or season. And raising them is not that easy at all but for the love of smoking there is nothing i can do ( just the legal ways of course). Heard a lot of raising tobacco success stories and and it is encouraging and inspiring.

 

[oklansas]

They grow tobacco at the Jamestown "recreation" settlement that you can go visit in Va. They grow tobacco all over that place. Every time I've been there, its going crazy (They have a botanist that got them the orignal strain of Virginia that was first exported from the colonies - and some random burleys too). I was talking with one of the actors that takes care of the the gardens, he said that many years the tobacco just outgrows everything and takes over garden plots.
So, I guess if you live on the Atlantic coast of Va, its still got the stuff to grow tobacco!
Other thing that does really well in Va....peanuts.

 

[lincolnsbark]

Living in Connecticut right now is half the reason I got into pipes. Driving past the tobacco farms surrounding my house is just too enticing not to enjoy the lovely plants in their intended habitat.

 

[ffmurray]

I plan on giving it a go next growing season,