Home Grown Tobacco

[davey72]

Thank you. :)

I sent you the email on Jan. 2. I just sent it again, PM me if you didn't get it. I will send you the seeds soon. I have one variety that was developed in Canada for short growing seasons and I will send some other early maturing ones, too. Good luck! I'm happy to help with any questions you have once you get going, and you can help me with livestock raising questions.

Sounds good. Are you raising livestock now?

 

[Mr. Premise]

Thank you. :)

I sent you the email on Jan. 2. I just sent it again, PM me if you didn't get it. I will send you the seeds soon. I have one variety that was developed in Canada for short growing seasons and I will send some other early maturing ones, too. Good luck! I'm happy to help with any questions you have once you get going, and you can help me with livestock raising questions.

Sounds good. Are you raising livestock now?

Yes, Large Black Hogs!

 

[davey72]

I have learned quite a bit about raising hogs lately.

 

[liam1310]

And anyone who wants seeds and growing instructions can PM me with an email address and a mailing address. I'll email the instructions and mail the seeds.

Hi Mr. Premise im looking for seeds gonna start growing tobacco this year if you have any left would it be okay to pm you my details
cheers Liam

 

[Mr. Premise]

And anyone who wants seeds and growing instructions can PM me with an email address and a mailing address. I'll email the instructions and mail the seeds.

Hi Mr. Premise im looking for seeds gonna start growing tobacco this year if you have any left would it be okay to pm you my details
cheers Liam

Yes I have seeds left. PM me. Let me know what you like to smoke.

 

[fabric]

There's no need to refrigerate it because it gets better with age but how you store it depends on the climate where you're at. It probably tastes rougher because storing it in those kinds of bags might make it dry out. You can mist it with water to make it moist again. For long term storage, you want it to be "low case." "Case" refers to the amount of moisture in the leaf. Low case is not bone dry but one step above. It will not crumble into dust when crushed. Low case is ideal for storage. Medium case is ideal for smoking, kid of a leathery feel, won't break when crushed and, if shredded, it will be kind of spongy. If you squeeze it together it will spring back. High case is moist, if you press it together it can stay pressed, if not shredded it will feel moist. Storing in high case can lead to mold.

I use two methods for long term storage: Mason jars if the tobacco is already shredded and vapor-proof bags for whole leaf. If you store it in regular plastic bags, even ziploc storage bags, humidity will escape over time and it will end up bone dry. The vapor proof bags can be sealed with an iron on low heat. They are made of triple laminated poly nylon. Members of the Fair Trade Tobacco forum can order the bags here: _http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/418-Vapor-Proof-Bags.

As for your seeds, tobacco seeds will last up to ten years or more, depending on how they are stored. I store mine in half pint mason jars with those little dessicant bag things in them. The dryer the better for storing seeds. At four years they should be fine. If you grow them on your balcony, just use 5 gallon pots and they will do fine.

And, yes, any tobacco you can smoke in cigarettes you can also smoke in a pipe.

I had some whole leaf I purchased a while back and have been just keeping it the fridge in the bag it came in with a clip (I didn't have a large enough ziploc). It's pretty dry now but I can still pull the leaves apart without them crumbling. That was one thing I was worried about, but I saw a video where he showed a dry leaf and misted it and a couple of hours later it was ready for shredding.

I read the link on the vapor bags and it looks like a food saver bag will work as well? I'm not a member of the site so dunno if I can order some but thought maybe I can get a food saver and use it for both tobacco and food prep. I'd like to order some more leaf but the 1lb bags are a lot to shred in one go! Also, when you mention "case", does that apply to the moisture content at any time or just after it is cured? So if I spray the leafs and get them too wet, would they become "high case"? I'm thinking if I spray some leaves to restore them so I can shred them, and have some wet ones leftover, I can let them dry out a bit until they are low-medium case to store them.

Also doesn't the shredded tobacco dry out eventually being kept in mason jars? I have a plastic "tobacco" tub but after some time it gets dry. I have one of those plastic moisture eggs that help restore the leaf when that happens but maybe I should try mason jars.

Btw the way I had a chance to try your baccy it's a very fine baccy indeed :)

 

[Mr. Premise]

If your tobacco dries out you can spray it with water from a misting bottle and seal it up again overnight and it will rehydrate.

Glad you liked the tobacco!

 

[Weller]

Finally getting started on growing my own...I have a few seedlings coming up now indoors, have a short growing season (late May to Sept) and I am an enthusiastic but spastic cottage gardener. Should I shoot for just one plant this year to learn the ropes or try to grow more? Only one smoker in the household and I don't want to tend a ton of plants if I'll only be able to manage/store a few. Also do they need a ton of sun, like 8+ hours?

Also a little concerned about toxicity of plants to kids and pets - is this a big issue or is tobacco like any other nightshade? I've grown potatoes and tomatoes already.

 

[Mr. Premise]

Finally getting started on growing my own...I have a few seedlings coming up now indoors, have a short growing season (late May to Sept) and I am an enthusiastic but spastic cottage gardener. Should I shoot for just one plant this year to learn the ropes or try to grow more? Only one smoker in the household and I don't want to tend a ton of plants if I'll only be able to manage/store a few. Also do they need a ton of sun, like 8+ hours?

Also a little concerned about toxicity of plants to kids and pets - is this a big issue or is tobacco like any other nightshade? I've grown potatoes and tomatoes already.

I would say shoot for more than one plant. Animals will leave tobacco alone once they get to be a certain size and produce nicotine. Don't let the kids handle leaves, you can absorb nicotine through your hands when you're harvest it, for example, but just touching it is not a problem. It definitely shouldn't be eaten. So the precautions would differ depending on the age of the children.

 

[davey72]

Finally getting started on growing my own...I have a few seedlings coming up now indoors, have a short growing season (late May to Sept) and I am an enthusiastic but spastic cottage gardener. Should I shoot for just one plant this year to learn the ropes or try to grow more? Only one smoker in the household and I don't want to tend a ton of plants if I'll only be able to manage/store a few. Also do they need a ton of sun, like 8+ hours?

Also a little concerned about toxicity of plants to kids and pets - is this a big issue or is tobacco like any other nightshade? I've grown potatoes and tomatoes already.

I would say shoot for more than one plant. Animals will leave tobacco alone once they get to be a certain size and produce nicotine. Don't let the kids handle leaves, you can absorb nicotine through your hands when you're harvest it, for example, but just touching it is not a problem. It definitely shouldn't be eaten. So the precautions would differ depending on the age of the children.

I have the same short season. I guess i should be starting them soon? Can i ask how you start yours?

 

[Mr. Premise]

Finally getting started on growing my own...I have a few seedlings coming up now indoors, have a short growing season (late May to Sept) and I am an enthusiastic but spastic cottage gardener. Should I shoot for just one plant this year to learn the ropes or try to grow more? Only one smoker in the household and I don't want to tend a ton of plants if I'll only be able to manage/store a few. Also do they need a ton of sun, like 8+ hours?

Also a little concerned about toxicity of plants to kids and pets - is this a big issue or is tobacco like any other nightshade? I've grown potatoes and tomatoes already.

I would say shoot for more than one plant. Animals will leave tobacco alone once they get to be a certain size and produce nicotine. Don't let the kids handle leaves, you can absorb nicotine through your hands when you're harvest it, for example, but just touching it is not a problem. It definitely shouldn't be eaten. So the precautions would differ depending on the age of the children.

I have the same short season. I guess i should be starting them soon? Can i ask how you start yours?

That's all covered in the Seed Starting doc I sent you on Jan 2.

 

[davey72]

Yes it is. Sorry.
Im curious as to how your hogs are doing?

 

[Mr. Premise]

Yes it is. Sorry.
Im curious as to how your hogs are doing?

The hogs are doing great. They're getting big. I'm going to have to measure them to find out how much they weigh. The only problem is the mess I'll have when the snow melts. I have a lot of cleanup to do quickly.

 

[davey72]

I have a couple of questions regarding my tobacco plants. First, we seem to have an overabundance of grasshoppers this year, and they are starting to eat the plants. Is there anything i can do?

Secondly, I thought perhaps trying diotamaceous earth may work, but am a little worried. It works as a poison by drying the insect up, and only works on organisms with an excoskeleton, but is there not a way it may damage the plant? What about having some get in your smoke? I realize it is natural, and even good to take as a supplement, but i am worried. Also, it is about the six week until end of season right now, and my plants are only about six to eight inches. Some smaller. Should i still crop the heads? My instinct is to let them grow.

 

[Mr. Premise]

I have a couple of questions regarding my tobacco plants. First, we seem to have an overabundance of grasshoppers this year, and they are starting to eat the plants. Is there anything i can do?

Secondly, I thought perhaps trying diotamaceous earth may work, but am a little worried. It works as a poison by drying the insect up, and only works on organisms with an excoskeleton, but is there not a way it may damage the plant? What about having some get in your smoke? I realize it is natural, and even good to take as a supplement, but i am worried. Also, it is about the six week until end of season right now, and my plants are only about six to eight inches. Some smaller. Should i still crop the heads? My instinct is to let them grow.

You should top the heads in a week or so even if they didn't flower. That will put the energy of the plant into developing the existing leaves. I don't know if diatomaceous earth will work on grasshoppers. Probably the best bet is to let some chickens loose on the patch.