Growing Your Own?

[12pups]

Anyone growing their own? I wasn't going to, but now I'm seriously considering it after someone suggested it to me.
My first objection to it had been, "But there are so, so many out there already that really don't cost that much and are done expertly." Not really going to be a huge economical advantage.
But now... reconsidering... it seems more a natural extension of the hobby. And when I found out it is legal and even in my climate doable, I find I have an sparking interest in this.
Anyone here doing it?

 

[northernneil]

I've grew my own tobacco a couple of years ago. It was a major learning experience. The first year was a huge investment; seeds, soil, lights, humidifier, homemade kiln, etc. And virtually no reward.
First, I do not live in an ideal climate, so I had a pretty big handicap from the get go. My crop got the crap kicked out of it 3 times by hail, and when I finally got around to harvest, my climate was too dry for proper colour curing, thus the humidifier. From the tobacco I was able to harvest and colour cure properly, I lost half to mold after fermentation in my homemade kiln. Fortunately I still have some, but it is no where near what you get from the pros.
All in all, I think it is a great idea, but if you are hoping it will save you money, it won't. Unless of course you time is free. It will take hours every day while growing, and years to properly process. ANd chances are, your first two attempts will not yield much in the way of smokeable leaf. That being said, you have to start somewhere.

 

[andrew]

Yeah curing it sounds like half the battle, probably even more so than growing it. If I lived in the proper climate it would be totally something to try, but where I am it wouldn't be worth the effort in the long run, and then the curing part...... Read up on it, nobody smokes raw tobacco, everything you buy has gone through quite a process.

 

[amiller]

I've been wondering if Brian should talk a bit about this process for pipe parts. Just how far removed from a green leaf is what we smoke regularly? How hard would it be for us to reproduce a straight virginia at any level approaching what the experts are doing?
It wouldn't be for the folks looking for the best stuff necessarily, but more as a way to dive in deeper in to understanding a hobby we love.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I grew up in this world, or at least was help for the family farm as a kid. Raw leaf is a far cry from smokable.
I might suggest getting some raw leaf from one of the online vendors that sells this sort of thing. And, then play with it to see if it is something you may be interested in pursuing further, casing, curing, cavendish, etc. I find in usual conversation on pipe sites that the majority of people don't realize that some form of calorie has to be added to the leaf to make it burn slow. Virginias are the easiest, but even so, calories have to be added to make it palatable.
But, until you know what you want to do with the raw leaf, you might want to hold off on seeds.

 

[12pups]

Comic... what a sensible plan!
Thanks.
But yeah, the discussion was enough to educate me out of it. It's way more complex than just growing tomatoes, by far.
More like a vineyard. (And I work for a company that also runs the largest vineyard in the state, so I know what that takes and wouldn't do that, either. Three years before first harvestable grapes. And the wines we get from NAPA, a "minimum" age requirement for aged vines is 50 years. Somebody already invested all that time so that I could have consistent quality wine at the liquor store. And... I think I'm back to my original plan: smoke all the blends that already exist -- that's enough of a chore for a hobbyist!
I need a smoke. See you later.

 

[onepyrotec]

I have two strains that I'm growing this year instead of the normal 6. I grow it for the fun/aggravation of getting a few plants to the harvest stages. I don't try to cure the leaves properly for use, only different experiments.