squeezyjohn
Well-Known Member
It starts again! On dry days over the past month I have been down on the allotment preparing the land for planting by creating permanent long 4 foot wide beds and covering with a thick layer of cow manure as a mulch to stop the weed seeds germinating. Of course the plot will be used for growing food as well as the tobacco so just like last year it's going to be a bit tight!
Today I sowed 4 varieties of Nicotiana Tabacums in root-trainer modules made by Haxnicks. The compost is Jack's Magic brand which did very well for me last year. The seeds pinched and sprinkled on top of the compost, sprayed with a water sprayer and put inside plastic carrier bags to conserve the moisture - placed next to the heater in my office.
I am aiming for 16 plants each of:
Bamboo shoot - from UK tobacco seeds
Black Mammoth - my own saved from 2013
Bolivian Criollo Black - from UK tobacco seeds
Amarellinha from GRIN (PI119822 - Argentina 1937)
Later on - in to April I plan to do a similar sowing of Rustica varieties and am aiming for massive leaves like POGreen managed last year! The rustica varieties will be:
PI499167 - Rustica - US(1985)
PI499190 - Mahorka Stalingradskaia - Soviet Union (1985)
PI478886 - Rustica GC-1 - India (1983)
1000 year old tobacco - from Salt Spring Seeds
I'll try and keep this blog updated ... here's wishing everyone in the Northern Hemisphere on FTT a brilliant growing season!
Today I sowed 4 varieties of Nicotiana Tabacums in root-trainer modules made by Haxnicks. The compost is Jack's Magic brand which did very well for me last year. The seeds pinched and sprinkled on top of the compost, sprayed with a water sprayer and put inside plastic carrier bags to conserve the moisture - placed next to the heater in my office.
I am aiming for 16 plants each of:
Bamboo shoot - from UK tobacco seeds
Black Mammoth - my own saved from 2013
Bolivian Criollo Black - from UK tobacco seeds
Amarellinha from GRIN (PI119822 - Argentina 1937)
Later on - in to April I plan to do a similar sowing of Rustica varieties and am aiming for massive leaves like POGreen managed last year! The rustica varieties will be:
PI499167 - Rustica - US(1985)
PI499190 - Mahorka Stalingradskaia - Soviet Union (1985)
PI478886 - Rustica GC-1 - India (1983)
1000 year old tobacco - from Salt Spring Seeds
I'll try and keep this blog updated ... here's wishing everyone in the Northern Hemisphere on FTT a brilliant growing season!