Growing My Own Tobacco (for fun).

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psychpipes

Can't Leave
Sep 4, 2013
321
102
36
Nature Coast of Florida
Hey Gents,
We all know that someone can grow their own vegetables or raise their own chickens, but for some reason I think it never seems to occur to smokers that we can grow our own tobacco. I've been watching and reading a lot about growing tobacco for the last year, and finally decided to pull the trigger on some seeds. I think I'm going to turn this into a summer experiment. I ordered some Virginia Gold and some Perique that I am going to try and grow for fun. Going to put my germination set-up together this weekend in my Florida room, and set up some plots in my yard for transplanting time. I have most things together, but still need to pick up some seed potting mix and some grow lamps.
Honestly, I am having realistic expectations. I don't expect to be making some amazing blend, and have everything be perfect. Who knows though? Maybe I'll surprise myself. I'll post some pictures when I get everything put together, and will post pictures at various stages. I'm really excited to give this a go.

 

northernneil

Lifer
Jun 1, 2013
1,390
1
Growing tobacco is easy, especially if you have success growing other things. However, properly curing tobacco is very difficult and time consuming. I'm glad you said you are looking to do this for fun, because that is the only way you'll succeed. If you think you'll save money this way, you'll be very disappointed, unless of course your time is free. Also, you'll need to look into color curing and fermenting the tobacco, both are crucial to developing a smokable product, but very difficult to perfect.
I have grown my own tobacco, and quickly discovered why no one else grows tobacco in my climate. That being said, I will try again in the future, and hopefully yeld better result from my first attempt :)
Good Luck!

 

psychpipes

Can't Leave
Sep 4, 2013
321
102
36
Nature Coast of Florida
I haven't looked so far ahead albeit briefly about the curing/fermenting process. I definitely am expecting some struggle there. I live in Florida, and am hoping the extended summer time down here will help me out. I have a lot of time to devote to the process though because my work schedule lines up with the schools. In fact, I need something to work on or i'll go stir crazy. I'm going to take this all as an experience. My philosophy will be that of my father's "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst." Thanks for the input Neil.

 

northernneil

Lifer
Jun 1, 2013
1,390
1
A good place to check out is a website called how to grow tobacco. A simple Google search will bring it up. There is a wealth of information, and people to talk to about the specifics. Also, feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

roadqueen

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 9, 2013
267
4
psychpipes,
I've seen private tobacco being grown in the hills of West Virginia. I'm thinking that the old timer used his tobacco for making his own cigarettes, not pipe tobacco. I've often thought about growing tobacco just for the heck of it as well, but the process to turn it from green leaf to smoking material is what stopped me - as I know nothing about it.
Please do take pictures and share with us your experiences - be they good or bad. I for one am greatly interested in what you find.

 

buster

Lifer
Sep 1, 2011
1,305
3
I looked into it, but decided the curing process was intimidating enough for me to pass on it. I just don't have the time for that at this moment in my life. I grow all kinds of veggies, raise chickens, and two boys. I can hardly find time to sneak in a fishing trip.maybe in the future some time? Post some pics and inspire me to try it!

 

ravenwolf

Can't Leave
Mar 18, 2014
302
0
I've tried it twice. The first time from seeds. Germination was no problem - I had a couple hundred of those little buggers - the rub is that they are extremely delicate for quite a while, until they get big and hardy enough to really transplant. By the time that came around, 80% of them had died off, despite somewhat maniacal attention to their care. I ended up transplanting them outside when they were maybe almost a foot high (I think?), and most of them promptly died. I think I had one plant that made it to hip height, sprouted what looked like a few actual leaves, then keeled over with the early winter (I'm on the Illinois/Wisconsin border.)
No dice there.
So, the next year I tried, I actually found a place online that will ship you plants that are already more or less ready to be put in the ground proper. I had better success this way, and would recommend it to anyone contemplating giving it a go. If you maybe have a real greenhouse structure, then seeds might work without catastrophic casualties.
I had a fairly impressive amount of bright virginia leaves that I harvested. I laid them out in my back yard and sun cured them, then hung them up to dry. The leaves made it to mason jars, and I waited three months before trying a pipe full.
... not the best smoke, in short.
I have since read that almost all pipe tobaccos are at least lightly augmented with a mild sweetener or flavoring agent (I think this was one of Russ's articals on this website), and now, I very thoroughly understand why. Even if you are lucky enough to grow some leaves to harvest, are able to somewhat passably cure them without the air circulating tobacco barn sort of set up - figuring out how to make the leaves palatable without ruining them isn't easy.
Now, I'm certainly no expert after two attempts. And I wholly back trying to grow your own still. Just sayin', treat it as a fun exercise and a pursuit of knowlege. If you get something smokeable, then be mighty proud of yourself! If you have troubles the first few times, it will teach you a whole new level of appreciation when you pop a tin or crack a mason jar open.
Afterthoughts - I wouldn't say I am a profoundly gifted gardening genius, but I do run a large garden every year that significantly helps feed my family. I did a fair bit of research as well - probably obsessively so. Don't let my experiences get ya down though - you'll enjoy it regardless of what happens, have a new respect and understanding of where your pipe tobacco comes from - and I hear that if you get can your plants to survive long enough to really get well established outside, they'll grow like gangbusters. Keep us updated!

 

ravenwolf

Can't Leave
Mar 18, 2014
302
0
I've also heard of folks having more success with perique tobacco, which you mentioned you have. I never tried perique.
Someone had described the plants as more robust, and smaller. I think they had put the leaves into a home built press to put them under pressure. I don't know much about the process utilized for perique, but I do know that it is more intensive, and would warrant some thorough research. If the key to processing the leaves turns out to be keeping them under pressure, then maybe you'll stand a higher chance of success - that is more easily controlled than weather conditions, etc.

 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,995
26,613
New York
I posted somewhere else on this forum about "growing your own" and it is a fun way of driving your church going neighbours crazy with tales of growing your own pot! That being said try buying from Amazon a copy of "Grow your own tobacco by Guy N Smith" as his thoughts on the subject do work rather well as he tells you how to make the casing for the tobacco etc.

 
It looks nothing like anything illegal. In fact it looks just like any other thing that you'd find in a garden. Growing up in North Carolina, my family survived a couple of generations growing tobacco, as it was about the only crop that made sense to grow back in the day. So, I've put in my stint of time working with this plant.
This year, I planted it between rows of kale, collards, and chards. I had a problem last year with a neighbor rummaging through my greens, so I figure if she decides to have a nice pot of stolen greens, she'll most likely be getting a few leaves of a different sort, LOL.

I just set my seeds out last weekend. I don't transfer, because in Alabama, our summers are long enough to get in two seasons of everything.

As for drying and casing, you just hang them in your attic till dry, steam, and add a calorie of your choice. I figure honey oral Nati maple syrup to be closer to what the originve tobacconists would have used. But yeh, you can't enjoy a bowl of dry tobacco without something being added to slow the burn.
I did try some of a kinnikinnick mixture once, and it was "interesting." I was a minority at a pow wow, so I just smiled and pretended to enjoy it, :::cough cough:::, lol. But, it wasn't a blend that I think would take off amongst the traditional white pipe smokers.

 

psychpipes

Can't Leave
Sep 4, 2013
321
102
36
Nature Coast of Florida
I'm not too daunted by the curing process. For fermenting, I have been watching some people make their own, and have a good idea for what I'll do. If I can get one plant through the entire process, then I'll consider the experiment a success. I'm just waiting on my seeds to get here.

 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,995
26,613
New York
Hey I know that Cosmic but this was Britain circa 1980. People who went abroad to 'other' countries were viewed with suspicion so an exotic plant or plants would always draw comments!

 

ravenwolf

Can't Leave
Mar 18, 2014
302
0
I'm enjoying learning from the other posts. Kind of makes me want to try it again :D
Kinnik kinnik is usually a mixture of a variety of plants, typically hand collected by the individual. So yeah, probably wouldn't taste much at all like a regular pipe blend. Mine is a mixture of several tobacco mixtures, white desert sage, sweetgrass, cedar leaves.
I think I'm growing to like ya, cosmicfolklore. Between pow wows and blacksmithing, we have some odd things in common :D

 

ravenwolf

Can't Leave
Mar 18, 2014
302
0
I'm also envious as hell at the very thought of an Alabama growing season. I'm on the Illinois/Wiconsin borderline, and it's still snowing here.

 
Envious, ...until you hit +100F temperatures in 100% humidity, ha ha. Yes, I love pow wows for trading stones. I get some of my best turquoise this way. I wish I knew more about blacksmithing. I love to watch guys do that though. I am mostly resigned to metals that I can work with at my workbench. I keep telling myself that one day I will build a forge.

 

davek

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 20, 2014
685
952
I live just north of Kentucky and I've grown a few Burley plants I got from Kentucky boys I know. Fresh tobacco will curl your toes but curing isn't so hard if you are patient.
Curing will progress if the tobacco is moist enough but not wet. Optimal fermentation is 100-120 degrees and 75% humidity. It'll "cure" in 4-8 weeks then. If you just keep it from totally drying out it'll cure in a year or two at room temperature. You need some air flow as ammonia compounds are breaking down.
I've read of people in Texas having smokeable tobacco in a few months. I myself have had tobacco I left in the basement and forgot about in a cardboard box for two years taste OK.
http://www.howtogrowtobacco.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=6ece50b28f5b93eba17297d570a9fd71

 

homeguard95

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 18, 2014
206
0
This is something I've recently been wanting to try,but the most intimidating part for me is choosing which tobacco plants to get!! I was looking on the TobaccoSeed and there were more plant names than I could have ever imagined.

 

onepyrotec

Lifer
Feb 20, 2013
1,066
6,634
Nevada
I have most things together, but still need to pick up some seed potting mix and some grow lamps.
For this type of tobacco, you don't need grow lamps :wink: You do need to get started though. My seeds have been in the soil since early Feb and the largest isn't an inch tall.
Tobacco takes forever to get going and growing fast. Germination can take a week or two, then it will be 2-3 months before they are ready for transplanting.

 

ravenwolf

Can't Leave
Mar 18, 2014
302
0
Loving this thread :D Makes me wish I had some seeds just to mess around with - but I think it's waaay too late to order some and start for this year now. Maybe next year.
Cosmic, I'd love to hear more about what kind of metalworking and stoneworking you like to do. Such things are a passion of mine, and I sometimes get to do stuff professionally like that. Always love to learn more - I'm not an expert yet.

 
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