Stealth Growing

[BarG]

I think growing decent tobacco requires too much attention for preparing the ground ,planting,pest control, and harvesting to be able to refer to it as stealthy. Not to mention how rows of tobacco would stick out like a sore thumb with surroundings.

 

[jolly]

I think growing decent tobacco requires too much attention for preparing the ground ,planting,pest control, and harvesting to be able to refer to it as stealthy. Not to mention how rows of tobacco would stick out like a sore thumb with surroundings.

You may be right. I'm thinking each site may only have 10 plants or less, not planted in rows but in loose groups. Clearing small spots and planting will be the most time consuming, but I can do it in stages while the seedlings are getting ready. Then it's only a visit, maybe a few times a week, to nuke with fertilizer and check for pests.

I think what will make it stealthy is that it's relatively out of the way, will likely blend in with the surroundings to a degree, and it's very unlikely I'll be seen tending it - because it's either not visible from the road or only in areas that have people during business hours.

I took some pics but they didn't turn out very well. I'll be biking by this weekend, so I'll take some better pics of the sites I'm considering.

 

[Bigdog]

I am a truckdriver, only see my plants once every two weeks and except for masive hail damage, everything is going OK, so I can see no reason why your plan cant work. Good luck to you.

 

[Don Johnston]

You'll need to make sure it's not found by deer or cattle. I tried a small outdoor patch last year and tobacco's high sugar content makes it irrisistable to most animals. You could try planting stinging nettle or other animal deterig companion plants but an electric fence works best. Good luck!

 

[jolly]

Thanks guys. Your point about animals is well taken. I plantedd some bursa in one of my test plots and had half of it damaged by raccoons. I'm thinking they smelled people on it and ruffed them up. They stopped when they got through 3 or for and realized there wasnt food there. I think that's going to be the biggest hurdle with small plots -- total loss due to random bad luck. Fewer number of plants equals more per plant risk.

On the bright side, I just found a spot that looks really promising. It's nestled between a parking lot bordered by red cedars, a woodlot, and the fence next to the highway. It's virtually out of side by everyone, no trees, and not too dry or too wet (the difference is inches in elevation in south florida), and gets nice sun exposure. If I filled it up it would hold hundreds of plants (I'm not going to do that..). This could be a game changer for me. I'm pretty pumped. Now if my sprouts would just grow a little faster.

 

[bonehead]

a lot of times it is the disturbed ground and different dirt or fertilizer that attracts some types of animals. have everything ready a week before you put your plants in so if they dig up your new hole your plant won't be in it yet. i never lost any tobacco from rabbits or deer. some things i wouldn't try to grow because they would be gone the next morning. tobacco usually isn't one of them. bugs are your biggest enemy.

 

[jolly]

a lot of times it is the disturbed ground and different dirt or fertilizer that attracts some types of animals. have everything ready a week before you put your plants in so if they dig up your new hole your plant won't be in it yet. i never lost any tobacco from rabbits or deer. some things i wouldn't try to grow because they would be gone the next morning. tobacco usually isn't one of them. bugs are your biggest enemy.

Thanks. I had assumed bugs would be the big problem too -- and i'm prepared for that. Good point about the disturbance. For round 2 I may give that a shot.

My area is pretty urban, no deer/cattle close, so it's going to be mostly raccoon, armadillo, and maybe a possum or two.

 

[bonehead]

Thanks. I had assumed bugs would be the big problem too -- and i'm prepared for that. Good point about the disturbance. For round 2 I may give that a shot.

My area is pretty urban, no deer/cattle close, so it's going to be mostly raccoon, armadillo, and maybe a possum or two.

i don't know what digs out the new hole sometimes but they usually won't dig up the same hole twice. it sucks when your hole is empty and the uneaten plant is dried out next to the empty hole. that's why i prepare the ground ahead of time.

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

I know I'm late to this party, but what you're talking about doing is also referred to commonly as guerrilla gardening, and there are some really excellent people working at it all over the country. Oftentimes this translates into food plantings left around for the public good (like an ad hoc community garden) but it could really be anything. There's a guy from Los Angeles named Ron Finley who's done some excellent work in this genre.

Anyway, if you google "guerrilla gardening" in your area, you may find some people who would be interested in learning tobacco and maybe helping. Check out Finley's TED talk on YouTube. Interesting and revolutionary stuff.

 

[Brown Thumb]

i don't know what digs out the new hole sometimes but they usually won't dig up the same hole twice. it sucks when your hole is empty and the uneaten plant is dried out next to the empty hole. that's why i prepare the ground ahead of time.

Sorry to Hyjack Thread
Freaking turkeys do that. I Caught them in the act.

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Did you eat them? I would eat them.