Organic Tobacco Production & Grow Your Own

[db]

[Use this sub-forum for Grow Your Own topics (for now)]

ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service.

Yeah that's a mouthful, but this is a really nice page with good basic Grow Your Own info.

Published in 2001, ATTRA Publication #CT 129 covers the basics from Tobacco Types, Organic Farm Certification, Seedling Transplanting, Pests and Disease, Soil Types and Cultivation, Pests, Harvesting, Curing and alot of great links to references - Seed Companies, and Government Publications.

ATTRA - Tobacco - Website

ATTRA - Tobacco - PDF

RYO Revolution Links Tobacco Seed Sellers & Info (will be expanded)

[Sophisticated Swine]

Has anyone started to look into types of seeds, started reading up on growing plants, and furthering their education on producing their own tobacco?

On a whim, i looked on ebay, and apparently someone is selling seeds, including some type of Iranian tobacco that was unfamiliar to me.

i for one will be starting to educate myself on legalities and amounts for personal use, what type of tobacco can be grown in the northeast, and trying to start building a knowledge foundation.

while mark from custom blends raised the valid issue about how difficult it is to bring a tobacco crop to usable levels, i cannot stand reading any more about SCHIP and not doing something more than raising my blood pressure. as in everything else in life, there is a learning curve, and i would at least like to engage in some trial and error so i can feel i did something.

i will definitely be cutting down on the amount i smoke, and envision combining what i might be able to grow with amounts of store bought baccy.

I look forward to a dedicated grow your own subforum on here, as i think this will be a growing issue, no pun intended.

[Xalky]

There's actually a link above to a list of seed vendors. I've been on most of the pages.

Personally, I think I'm gonna start with a virginia tobacco, since I like to smoke straight virginias in general. 1or 2 of those of vendors have a forum section and/or how-tos.

I don't know how far north you are but here in CT the growing season is good for most tobacco types. Worse case scenario you might have to start the seeds indoors which is what I plan on doing anyway.

My plan is to buy and stock up on a years worth of baccy from D&R. Get my crop going and maybe grow a half years supply to get my feet wet. Worse case... I'll be able to blend my home grown in with store bought to stretch it.

[DougE]

There's actually a link above to a list of seed vendors. I've been on most of the pages.

Personally, I think I'm gonna start with a virginia tobacco, since I like to smoke straight virginias in general. 1or 2 of those of vendors have a forum section and/or how-tos.

I don't know how far north you are but here in CT the growing season is good for most tobacco types. Worse case scenario you might have to start the seeds indoors which is what I plan on doing anyway.

My plan is to buy and stock up on a years worth of baccy from D&R. Get my crop going and maybe grow a half years supply to get my feet wet. Worse case... I'll be able to blend my home grown in with store bought to stretch it.

You'll definitely want to start your plants indoors for a small operation. Most of the comercial farmers around here use greenhouses to start their plants ( or buy greenhouse raised plants from someone else ) these days. The old " tobacco bed " method is becoming a thing of the past.

[dz]

There's actually a link above to a list of seed vendors. I've been on most of the pages.

Personally, I think I'm gonna start with a virginia tobacco, since I like to smoke straight virginias in general. 1or 2 of those of vendors have a forum section and/or how-tos.

I don't know how far north you are but here in CT the growing season is good for most tobacco types. Worse case scenario you might have to start the seeds indoors which is what I plan on doing anyway.

My plan is to buy and stock up on a years worth of baccy from D&R. Get my crop going and maybe grow a half years supply to get my feet wet. Worse case... I'll be able to blend my home grown in with store bought to stretch it.

You still contemplating this Xalky, or did Mark Ryan put your mind at ease? I'm contemplating it now if for nothing else to see how hard it will be and what kind of quality can be expected. Who knows, this reprieve might not last after all.

I got several types of seeds including Virginias, a couple Burleys and another couple Orientals to have some flexibility in blending. I also got some Rustica, in case the cigarettes don't taste good at least they should be strong.

[tekwyzrd]

I've purchased a number of varieties (two virginian gold varieties, kentucky burley, australian burley, orinoco, yellow orinoco, rosa, scherazi, perique, connecticut shadeleaf, rustica, and a cuban variety) from eBay sellers. My first attempt at growing was in 2007 and I grew 48 plants in my back yard (virginia gold, kentucky burley, rosa, scherazi, and rustica) and though it was a challenge I had a nice crop with my largest plant over 9' tall. The tobacco has been hanging in the barn since, and I periodically pull and cut a few leaves to taste. Right now I'm smoking a mix of 1/3 kentucky burley, 1/3 virginian gold, and 1/3 American Spirit organic. My home grown isn't quite ready to stand on it's own but it mellows the flavor of the American Spirit.

Last year was a near total failure. I started plants in jiffy pots and lost the first set of seedlings. The jiffy pots dried out too much. My second attempt didn't do much better. I did end up with 20 plants but they were planted a month late and were nowhere near the size of the previous year. The lesson : DON"T USE JIFFY POTS (peat pots)

This year I plan on planting virginian gold, burleys, orinocos, a bit of perique, a few cuban, and rustica (about 48 plants excluding the rustica).

[dz]

I've purchased a number of varieties (two virginian gold varieties, kentucky burley, australian burley, orinoco, yellow orinoco, rosa, scherazi, perique, connecticut shadeleaf, rustica, and a cuban variety) from eBay sellers. My first attempt at growing was in 2007 and I grew 48 plants in my back yard (virginia gold, kentucky burley, rosa, scherazi, and rustica) and though it was a challenge I had a nice crop with my largest plant over 9' tall. The tobacco has been hanging in the barn since, and I periodically pull and cut a few leaves to taste. Right now I'm smoking a mix of 1/3 kentucky burley, 1/3 virginian gold, and 1/3 American Spirit organic. My home grown isn't quite ready to stand on it's own but it mellows the flavor of the American Spirit.

Last year was a near total failure. I started plants in jiffy pots and lost the first set of seedlings. The jiffy pots dried out too much. My second attempt didn't do much better. I did end up with 20 plants but they were planted a month late and were nowhere near the size of the previous year. The lesson : DON"T USE JIFFY POTS (peat pots)

This year I plan on planting virginian gold, burleys, orinocos, a bit of perique, a few cuban, and rustica (about 48 plants excluding the rustica).

Thanks for the info tek. OK so no peat pots, what's the best method then? You say your tobacco mellows out the NAS, how so....I take it's not bitter/overbearing then and tastes halfway decent? I'm not expecting anything like Windsail Plat but is it realistic, with a little luck, to get some fairly palatable leaf? I have had some pretty successful crops in the past so know a little about gardening (although indoor).

[SmokeRings]

Excellent thread! I'm going to be following this one closely. Tekwyzrd...any pics of your 2007 crop?

[Sophisticated Swine]

I've purchased a number of varieties (two virginian gold varieties, kentucky burley, australian burley, orinoco, yellow orinoco, rosa, scherazi, perique, connecticut shadeleaf, rustica, and a cuban variety) from eBay sellers. My first attempt at growing was in 2007 and I grew 48 plants in my back yard (virginia gold, kentucky burley, rosa, scherazi, and rustica) and though it was a challenge I had a nice crop with my largest plant over 9' tall.

This year I plan on planting virginian gold, burleys, orinocos, a bit of perique, a few cuban, and rustica (about 48 plants excluding the rustica).

From the little reading on growing i have done so far, i thought there was some rule that you should plant different varieties a mile apart to prevent cross breeding?

Have you had any issues with the plants you have grown so far with mixed breeding?

ballpark figure, how big is your backyard, so i can start comparing size needs when i start this.

thanks

[dayworks]

I've purchased a number of varieties (two virginian gold varieties, kentucky burley, australian burley, orinoco, yellow orinoco, rosa, scherazi, perique, connecticut shadeleaf, rustica, and a cuban variety) from eBay sellers. My first attempt at growing was in 2007 and I grew 48 plants in my back yard (virginia gold, kentucky burley, rosa, scherazi, and rustica) and though it was a challenge I had a nice crop with my largest plant over 9' tall.

This year I plan on planting virginian gold, burleys, orinocos, a bit of perique, a few cuban, and rustica (about 48 plants excluding the rustica).

From the little reading on growing i have done so far, i thought there was some rule that you should plant different varieties a mile apart to prevent cross breeding?

Have you had any issues with the plants you have grown so far with mixed breeding?

ballpark figure, how big is your backyard, so i can start comparing size needs when i start this.

thanks

I don't think you'd have to worry about cross-breeding as long as you didn't use the seeds next year from plants you grew this year. I'd say it's okay if Burley and Virginia want to mix it up. They're young; let them have their fun.