Just today I burrowed under the tobacco hanging in my shed to check all the stalk-cured varieties at the far end. My Harrow Velvet went in at least 6 weeks ago--can't remember when. It is nearly done, with just a little thickness left to the base of some of the stems. The Little Dutch, which was the first to go in, is also nearly ready.
I worried about all the big, leafy plants, like Brasil Dunkel, Long Red and PA Swarr-Hibshman, but they are coming along well--better than leaf that was primed at the same time.
As usual, my CT Broadleaf just wants to cure with green patches. We'll see about that in a few more weeks. I grew it several years ago, with similar results. That first grow was primed. This one is stalk harvested. I'm afraid it gets scratched off the list of future grows.
With my PA Red, I've taken two primings, planning to stalk-harvest the rest, but with the crowded shed and the cool, damp weather, I haven't been able to move cured leaf into my porch as fast as last season. So the best of the PA Red is still standing, waiting for somewhere to go. It's actually just barely past mature, with very few ripe leaves. It was a slow one this season. I worry that it will freeze soon after I do get it stalk harvested.
I have Cyprus Oriental mw, Cyprus Latakia mw and Prilep--all upper stalks--hanging on the stalk to "sun" cure outside. The previous sun-cured batch was just basically air-cured under the clouds. I can barely get that stuff wilted, before I have to rush it back into the shed to avoid a thunderstorm.
My tool of choice for cutting the full-size stalks is a pair of bypass branch loppers. Cuts them like butter, and avoids the worry about stalk-harvesting my fingers with a chopping blade (or the crazy Ginzu knife I wounded myself with). The small Orientals do fine with a pair of pruning scissors. The big ones each get a diagonally driven nail at the base (which impales a Tyvek label). I hang those on ropes (1/8" braided Nylon) that span the shed. The little ones are each hung using a twist of aluminum 17 gauge fence wire bent into a hook.
Bob