Stealth Growing

[jolly]

I've been pondering this idea for a while but this year I'm going to pull the trigger. I'm very limited on space. I'd like to grow more than I have room for, and I'd love to experiment with different varieties. In order to make this happen, I'm considering utilizing some of the surrounding areas.

Some areas i'm considering:
Railroad right of way
undeveloped commercial properties
Power line right of way
unmaintained areas near ponds -- most commercial areas have a pond
Wooded parks (not nature preserves -- though I may consider some of the wildlife management areas as they're full of invasive plants already)

Some risks:
Time needed to visit sites -- at least once a week
Getting questioned by people wondering what I'm doing
Theft -- less likely but possible. A lot of the landscape workers are from tobacco producing countries (planting oriental varieties may not get much notice in landscaped areas)

Plan:
I've identified three spots to begin, and I've germinated some FL sumatra for starters. One site is in a clearing in some woods, one is in a wetter area of a railroad right of way, and one is along a fence row that is unmaintained between an undeveloped commercial property and the highway.

These are all within a 5 min bike ride of my house. I can get in and out quickly, and the areas aren't heavily traveled so the likelihood of getting questioned is low. If this works I may expand to some other sites later this year.

Has anyone else done anything like this?

jolly tobaccoseed

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I've been thinking the same thing, but I've been focusing my energy on getting growing space from friends and colleagues instead. I've got an entire garden lined up on a friend's property, so that triples my tobacco growing space. It would be nice to plant in the 40'x140' empty lot next door, but what if the lot sold? that would be devastating. I wouldn't plant in railroad right of ways; there might be chemicals from the ties, but more than likely herbicides, or regular mowing. If there is nothing growing there, there is probably a reason. Things grow wild if there is enough water. I had to call the city on the empty lot last year due to the insane amount of weeds that build up when the landscape contractors don't show up.

A suggestion for location would be light industrial locations, (welding shops/warehouses/etc) where they might appreciate you maintaining some of their greenspace, or spaces along fences that they wish wasn't there. You could promise to let the plants flower; something in it for you; something in it for them. (The flowering bit was a suggestion I made to another friend's wife with an acreage - still waiting to hear).

 

[jolly]

Thanks. Most of my friends are in the same boat I am in terms of space. The railroad ROWs are pretty unmaintained. Mostly there's some large shrubs but there is some openings with grass and lower growing vegetation well away from the tracks. After some weeding they may be fine. In terms of chemicals, it's very rare. They do occasionally come through and spray to clean out the canals that border the tracks, but it's years in between treatments. I figure that anything I get from these areas is more than I have, so any loss wouldn't hurt too much.

We don't have to much industrial close to the house. It's mostly commercial -- offices and shops. The office parks keep business hours and so they wouldn't really notice me picking leaves from the canal areas behind the properties or the pond areas. Planting them midway up the slopes will keep them from the mowers and from getting wet feet. That's a last resort though -- I'd rather stick to undeveloped or waste places first.

 

[jolly]

Below is what I mean



The tracks are between two roads. the vegetation on the west side is just west of a canal. The track side gets maintained, but not that ditch area, or most of the area leading up to the road on the west where the red car is. The gold star is about where I'd plant. This one spot could hold a lot of plants, but I wouldn't put much there initially to make it look naturally occurring. I'd also plant them up and down the slope because I want to see where the plants perform best in terms of natural moisture. FL soils are pretty sandy. Even thought the state is pretty flat, subtle changes in elevation make a big difference. There's only about 30' elevation difference between dunes and swamps. I'm not going to be able to water these, finding that sweet spot is going to be interesting. There will likely be losses and stunted growth just due to figuring that out.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Well, if they don't always spray or weed, those areas you are thinking of sound like good places to start. Getting seed to sprout is cheap and easy.

If the roots weren't so extensive, I'd grow tobacco on my roof.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I wouldn't put much there initially to make it look naturally occurring.

Maybe try making some spots look natural, and others clearly intentional. You might discover that the intentional looking ones are less likely to get destroyed, 'cause I mean, who would plant things but the city/county?

 

[jolly]

If the roots weren't so extensive, I'd grow tobacco on my roof.

I've thought about that too, but It would be tough to get on the roof of the town home, and I know someone would call the HOA on me.

 

[Texasgrown]

Get on Craigslist for a deer lease or something there are plenty of folks in the farm section that wouldn't mind renting an acre or five for a few lbs of good leaf.

 

[chuditch]

Be careful as they use residual herbicides on the tracks, well they do in Australia. I use residual herbicides on my fire breaks and it lasts for years on the farm so it might not work trying to get things to grow there and what sort of sleepers do they use under the rails. Concrete not a problem but if wood they will probably have used an arsenic based chemical to keep insect life out of them and that leaches into the surrounding soil and into any plants that do happen to grow. Don't want to be a profit of doom but things to consider.

 

[Smokin Harley]

I've been pondering this idea for a while but this year I'm going to pull the trigger. I'm very limited on space. I'd like to grow more than I have room for, and I'd love to experiment with different varieties. In order to make this happen, I'm considering utilizing some of the surrounding areas.

Some areas i'm considering:
Railroad right of way
undeveloped commercial properties
Power line right of way
unmaintained areas near ponds -- most commercial areas have a pond
Wooded parks (not nature preserves -- though I may consider some of the wildlife management areas as they're full of invasive plants already)

Railroads surrounding soils are full of creosote and fuels and who knows what kind of herbicides . And they are especially leary of anyone doing anything with THEIR easements. Be careful. Same as Powerline rights of way . The wildlife (public gov't owned?)and Commercial properties you could be charged with trespassing .

Some risks:
Time needed to visit sites -- at least once a week
Getting questioned by people wondering what I'm doing
Theft -- less likely but possible. A lot of the landscape workers are from tobacco producing countries (planting oriental varieties may not get much notice in landscaped areas)

Plan:
I've identified three spots to begin, and I've germinated some FL sumatra for starters. One site is in a clearing in some woods, one is in a wetter area of a railroad right of way, and one is along a fence row that is unmaintained between an undeveloped commercial property and the highway.

These are all within a 5 min bike ride of my house. I can get in and out quickly, and the areas aren't heavily traveled so the likelihood of getting questioned is low. If this works I may expand to some other sites later this year.

Has anyone else done anything like this?

jolly tobaccoseed

Check with your local park district if there is one . Ours has large multiple garden plots for low rent,more than half the spots in the past 4 years aren't even used and they just end up growing weeds. I guess its set up for those living in apartments or just yards with no garden space. Some townhouses around here are crammed so close together they may as well be apartments with adjoining walls.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Read POGreen's grow log from last year. He did a lot of stealth growing

 

[jolly]

Railroads surrounding soils are full of creosote and fuels and who knows what kind of herbicides . And they are especially leary of anyone doing anything with THEIR easements. Be careful. Same as Powerline rights of way . The wildlife (public gov't owned?)and Commercial properties you could be charged with trespassing .



Check with your local park district if there is one . Ours has large multiple garden plots for low rent,more than half the spots in the past 4 years aren't even used and they just end up growing weeds. I guess its set up for those living in apartments or just yards with no garden space. Some townhouses around here are crammed so close together they may as well be apartments with adjoining walls.

Thanks for the feedback. I don't think I'll go near the WMAs since it's a bit of a drive and I'd have to hike in. The goal is to tap currently untapped resources nearby. I also see two other potential risks (though not that probable):
1. If approached I could be accused of introduction. I believe this typically applies to the relocation of vermin and nuisance animals, but someone could interpret this as applying to plants as well.
2. In most areas plant collecting is prohibited. While this seems to target exotic and protected plants, someone could interpret harvesting my own plants as collecting. This is even lower risk I think. I don't think anyone would bother enforcing it in that way any more than they'd take someone to jail for picking blueberries.

Overall not worth the hassle right now.

I won't be planting on anything that is posted -- so that should offer some protection from trespassing charges.

If you're a fire cured or latakia smoker, getting the creosote in the leaf, rather than on it, may be a revolutionary technique. Seriously though, my current plan is to plant well away from the track on the edge of the ROW separated by a canal. The power line ROW I'm speaking of is not federally regulated high line but rather extra road ROW where power lines are.

One of the requirements I forgot to list is that there should be no added cost. Paying rent for a garden is out of the question right now. I may have to get creative about how I fertilize (granular or spikes rather than liquid) but that's a cost I was going to incur anyway.

There have been a few folks comment that they are envious of the growing season down here. I'm envious of the space many of the posters on this forum have. My goal is to increase that space at the lowest cost possible (free) while not breaking any laws.

I appreciate all the comments on the risks associated with doing this. It helps narrow down the sites (and keeps me out of trouble).

 

[jolly]

Read POGreen's grow log from last year. He did a lot of stealth growing

Cool, I'll have to take a look. Thanks.

 

[Chicken]

Read POGreen's grow log from last year. He did a lot of stealth growing

Also look at "" boboros"" grow log.of the last 2 years..he has some video of his yard..and he grows bacca anywhere he can get a plant at..

His driveway is lined with bacca rows.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Heres an idea for you ...youre in South Florida....how close are you to any old orange groves ... could it be possible to talk to the land owners and see if they'd allow you some fallow out of the public view space to plant . Probably very fertile soil just sitting there doing nothing. Worst anyone can say is No.

 

[Knucklehead]

Worst anyone can say is No.

One..Two..THREE! can be a lot worse than no.

 

[jolly]

The closest groves are maybe 30 mins north. While that's not terrible, the odds that I'll get up there to tend it are low, and in a lot of cases they're converting the groves to commercial tree farms, growing oakes and palms. I've not had a field job for a few years now. When I was in the field this all would've been on the table as I covered about 4 counties. Now with an office job and 3 little ones -- it's gotta be super easy. If I can get the kids on bikes and in wagons I can cart them around and tend plants in the area. When they're a little older -- maybe I can branch out.

 

[jolly]

One..Two..THREE! can be a lot worse than no.

I've only stuck in long enough to hear 2.

 

[jolly]

Read POGreen's grow log from last year. He did a lot of stealth growing

Just finished going through the whole thing -- damn that's a lot of posts. That was just what I was looking for.

Super surprised to see tobacco growing that close to the coast. I don't think that's an option for me, as the coastal areas are protected and watched pretty closely -- between endangered turtles and protected plants like sea oats, it's unlikely I'd be able to do that without some trouble.

I drove around a little this afternoon and identified another nice area. I've gotta get my seed order in...

 

[jolly]

Thanks Chicken, I'll take a look.