The 2015 Cosmic Crop

[cosmicfolklore]

So, this weekend, the baby Virginias and Rusticas hit the ground.

I planted 6 Virginia Golds, 6 Dark Virginias, 2 Rusticas, and 4 Del Golds. Aren't they cute, little baby pipe weeds.

I will start a new bed for the Ishmir and Orinocos, which had a late start from the seed.

I know we had a new guy to the forums who had a much more impressive tobacco operation, which did take the wind out of my sails, but even if my set is small, I hope to understand a lot more about this plant and the hobby in general.

I hope you guys had a great weekend.

 

[teufelhund]

Had a wonderful weekend thanks for your well wishes. Looks like you've got quite the setup. It supposed to be a good growing season this year; hopefully before long you'll have some nice tall plants. Best of luck!

 

[buroak]

Thanks for another update. This has to be one of the best threads on the forum.

 

[voorhees]

Very cool Michael. Hope the crop does well. BTW, I like the Pith Helmet.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Thanks Voorhees, both of my grandfathers wore a pith in the garden. They were both CCC workers, so it came to be a preferred hat for them, and when I saw this one for sale, I jumped on it. Remembering setting on a split rail fence watching my paw paw heem and haw those mules in the garden with those piths on, is what is burned in my mind as real farming. I keep checking out the mules at the trade days, but Lora would kill me if I came home with a mule. The goats were already pushing it, ha ha. And, honestly, the excitement of having goats wears away quickly, especially after the first rut, when the billy decides to smack me around the yard a little. Ha ha.

 

[fmgee]

Nice looking crop Cosmic. It is going to be fun to watch them grow

 

[cosmicfolklore]

So far...



I got my first harvest of leaves...




These will hang in my garage until dry, and then I will cure them all at the same time about September.
These are Virginia blooms just before I topped them and cut the suckers...


These are some Rustica blooms. I am not going to cut these, because they are so pretty, and I am not so worried about squeezing every bit of tobacconoids out of this plant, because it will induce hallucinations on its own, ha ha!!


So, that's the crop so far. I did get three horn worms off of the plants, but I don't have enough to warrant spraying chemicals. I can just hand pick any unwanted pests. Besides, spraying pesticides is just not effective.
Anyways, that's the crop update so far...

 

[jpmcwjr]

Fabulous! I am into gardening and recently into pipe tobaccos. Thought about growing some next year, but I was under the impression that more humidity than we have in N. CA was necessary. But if tomato success means tobacco success, I better order my seeds soon! Thanks for the thread and photos.

 

[pylorns]

Wow, coming along very nicely.

 

[fmgee]

Great to see the update. They are growing well.

 

[huntertrw]

Cosmic:
There is "growing" interest in this thread! Come September how will you cure this tobacco?

 

[bigpond]

Great thread. Will be following updates.

 

[jkrug]

Good to see an update on this thread. It looks like the tobacco plants are really doing well. I'm curious to see how the curing process will go as well. Thanks for the update.
Interesting to see that the plants will flower. I did not know this.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Nor did I, but it also makes me wonder: Is the leaf better harvested before, after or during flower?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yeh, there are a whole bunch of ornamental tobaccos that are grown for their flowers and aromas.
As for whether the tobacco is better before or after flowering... I'm not sure. It happens at the same time. The leaves ripen as the plant puts off flowers. And, it continues to try to put out more flowers as the leaves mature. You have to continually sucker and top the plants as you harvest leaves.

 

[saltedplug]

Way, way; way too much gardening for me, but I admire your skill and dedication to growing the venerable weed from seed.

 

[tarak]

Wow! This is a great thread to follow- I'm excited to see how that turns out. I wonder if this could be done in Minnesota? I can only image they have a host of laws and taxes.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Thanks! No, it will grow anywhere tomatoes will grow. No laws, no taxes, except you cannot sell it nor give any away. You can grow as much as you want for yourself. Seeds are everywhere online. Its actually a very easy plant to grow. It's curing it for pipes that gets tricky, but not impossible. Actually, baking a cake is harder than curing. The only drawback is the time involved, but good things come to those who wait, ha ha!

 

[seacaptain]

Nice work!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Update, I have harvested the crop.
These are the lower leaves that I have been harvesting all summer. It is a cooler full, and weighs in at six pounds. They are not cured yet, but I have been enjoying a bowl here and there. Not bad. Not great, but it is a tasty treat that makes me drool in anticipation of getting them cured.


My shed is so small that it is hard to get a decent photo, but here are the stalks that I just brought in to dry.


This will be a mix of Del Gold burley, Rustica, Orinoco, Tennesse Red burley, Virginia Gold, and a Dark African variety. I plan on setting aside some of the Virginias for a single crop treat, but in sampling the different leafs, I can see these all working very well together in some Virginia rope blends.


Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed the show. I will post back when I start the cure process. Thanks for watching...