CT Tobaccoman
Well-Known Member
Since I have had some 15 years experience in Conn. Shade--grown in Connecticut and Massachusetts--it was suggested that I start this thread.
So, I will take any and all questions about how to raise Conn. Shade. But be warned, people have been trying to grow the plant elsewhere in the US, and it is never commercial quality, except in Fla-Ga up to the 1970s. Nobody knows why it grows so well in the Connecticut River Valley. It could be a lot of things.
But if you have sandy loam soil, not too clayish, not too peatish, and plenty of sun, you should be able to grow Conn Shade good enough for private consumption. It is wrapper tobacco, so every leaf is handled by hand at all phases of the growing, curing and sweating operations. Rips, spots, bruises, blue mold, calico and other tobacco pathologies are not acceptable, so it is better if the land that you are going to use has not been used for tobacco for five years. Keep as far as possible away from tomatoes and potatoes.
There is a lot of work and money that goes into the shade tent. It won't just grow under a shade tree. The tent is for retaining humidity and filtering sunlight, not for blocking the sun. Shade tobacco loves lots of sun. The plants get 10+ feet high and must be tied up to overhead wires running above each row. Cheesecloth is OK, and you will need #6 and #10 wire, and poles at least 15 feet long. I am sure that one can improvise with a small patch. A field is divided into square"bents," bounded by four poles. Each pole is 33 feet away from any other pole near it. Fourteen bents makes an acre, plants are 33 inches apart in the row. Every second row must be wide enough to provide access. There are 10 rows in a bent. If anyone uses a tractor, the rows must be carefully planned for wheel clearance.
But I will tell you how it is done, and you can make your own versions of tents, curing sheds, and sweat rooms. It's really a lot of work.
So, I will take any and all questions about how to raise Conn. Shade. But be warned, people have been trying to grow the plant elsewhere in the US, and it is never commercial quality, except in Fla-Ga up to the 1970s. Nobody knows why it grows so well in the Connecticut River Valley. It could be a lot of things.
But if you have sandy loam soil, not too clayish, not too peatish, and plenty of sun, you should be able to grow Conn Shade good enough for private consumption. It is wrapper tobacco, so every leaf is handled by hand at all phases of the growing, curing and sweating operations. Rips, spots, bruises, blue mold, calico and other tobacco pathologies are not acceptable, so it is better if the land that you are going to use has not been used for tobacco for five years. Keep as far as possible away from tomatoes and potatoes.
There is a lot of work and money that goes into the shade tent. It won't just grow under a shade tree. The tent is for retaining humidity and filtering sunlight, not for blocking the sun. Shade tobacco loves lots of sun. The plants get 10+ feet high and must be tied up to overhead wires running above each row. Cheesecloth is OK, and you will need #6 and #10 wire, and poles at least 15 feet long. I am sure that one can improvise with a small patch. A field is divided into square"bents," bounded by four poles. Each pole is 33 feet away from any other pole near it. Fourteen bents makes an acre, plants are 33 inches apart in the row. Every second row must be wide enough to provide access. There are 10 rows in a bent. If anyone uses a tractor, the rows must be carefully planned for wheel clearance.
But I will tell you how it is done, and you can make your own versions of tents, curing sheds, and sweat rooms. It's really a lot of work.