Bex
Well-Known Member
Yep, that's me, in a nutshell. So another absurd year of trying to grow tobacco in the worst climate, with the worst conditions possible, has started. Just so you can feel really badly for me (and I'm not sure if I already posted this), but I hung my lovely crop of burley last year, in my shed - it was coming along GREAT (and I figured I'd be far more successful with it, than with my flue curing travesties of the past two years). So, in January or so, the roof of the shed blew off. Literally. And my entire crop was ruined. There is some powers that be, that just doesn't want me doing this. Tough. I've started again.
Actually (although no photos) I started earlier this year. My problem, considering my location, is bad and iffy weather until June (or later), no sun in my windows until the end of April, etc., so that anything I start indoors early enough, gets leggy, weak before I can plant it out. So, I got a grow light. A good idea, as, while the seed, for some reason, took a bit longer to germinate, it finally came up, came up fairly strong...and straight. I planted (unknowingly) about 70 Virginia plants and about 30 Burley. And, as I am compassionate and against capital punishment (sorry for those who may disagree), I did not murder one seedling. They are all on their way to becoming adults. I started them about a month earlier this year than last year - so started them on April 1. It took the better part of a week to see anything coming up at all - then suddenly, there were little buds in the soil, then tiny little plants and....there they remained just like that, for about 4 days. I wondered if the light was no good, on too long, not on long enough, etc. But within about 4 days or so, they took off again. It took until April 24 or so for them to reach about an inch tall....So slow!! I was a bit disheartened, as I planted them at the same time I planted my vegetables - my vegetable plants (beans, cabbage, etc.) were now about 6 inches tall, totally overshadowing the tiny tobacco plants. But then again, what do I expect from such teeny weeny seeds???
I finally put the flats out in my crappy greenhouse on the 9th of May, and let them get acclimated to being 'outside'....
And in the meantime, I went up the hill to prepare my tunnel - having not really seen it all winter - for the advent of its new inhabitants. Um, no... the tunnel was completely trashed - the sides were flapping in the wind. But, amusingly, a couple of tobacco plants that I had stripped, but not pulled, and left in the tunnel - over the whole winter - were still alive and.....flowering. Geesh, where on earth do I live, where suddenly physics, or biology or whatever, is so topsy turvy???
My little plants grew well in the greenhouse, and within less than a week, I began to repot them from the flats into little pots, where I would keep them until I would see the roots starting to come out of the bottoms of the pots. In the meantime, two tobacco plants that had been in the greenhouse all winter, sitting there about a foot high with small, narrow leaves, began to wake up. One flowered within a week or so. The other is continuing to grow, with larger leaves. It's really weird.
Meanwhile, handy as I am, I went up to the tunnel, had a friend of mine turn all the soil in it, weed it etc. - I am too dainty for this type of work - and I tried tying up the sides of the tunnel to the frame, as best I could. My thought was - as plants actually survived in there all winter, not to worry about the plastic being intact (impossible as the roof is pretty trashed - the plastic in between the green mesh had actually deteriorated)but to use the sides of the tunnel as a kind of windbreak. It would protect the plants from the wind, but still allow the rain and sun in. A good plan, I thought. So, the tunnel was 'ready' anytime the plants were.
By the 7th of June (a month earlier than last year) 35 plants went up into the tunnel. I'm really trying to be good - planting them a decent distance from each other - at least to start with. The 35 plants took up one side of the tunnel (sadly, as I have plenty more). The 'assembly line was continued - plants that were starting to grow in the original flats were being repotted into small pots, as other plants, having been repotted already, were going up into the tunnel. So, those first 35 plants were up there and......were getting mercilessly eaten by SLUGS. I had some pellets from last year - and put them down. The ground was littered blue. But the slugs continued, so I thought perhaps they had lost their 'efficiency'. I bought more pellets. What has happened to these slug pellets????? They used to be 'industrial' grade - big warnings not to put them anywhere near where anything edible was. They used to be blue. Now, all I can find are white ones. You can put them next to your 'strawberries'. They are pure shite. The one side of the tunnel was littered with white and blue pellets. Very colorful. And each day, more bottom leaves were eaten. I had this vision of the slugs - replete with French accents - coming in, munching on the leaves, spying the pellets and saying...'Ah, merci for the dessert!!' I must suffer with these new pellets, as there are no others to be had here. Once the plants start to grow a bit, the slugs will be less of a problem on the upper leaves. I hope.
Over the course of the last 2 weeks, the rest of the plants (another 35) have gone up into the tunnel. It is now 'full'...for the moment, as I still have, what, another 30 or 40 sitting in pots with nowhere to go? The ones in the pots are still fairly small, however, so I have time to think about what to do with them.
And now (naturally) for my dilemma......You may recall (although probably not) that last year I complained that the plants were not a 'lush' green, but rather a pale green. I am having a similar problem this year - only worse. While I understand that there will be a bit of a 'shock' with transplanting, etc., the plants up in the tunnel appear to be a different color, than what is growing in the pots. So, perhaps some feed is needed....???? Most of the liquid feed that I find here is for flowers, fruit, etc. I'm assuming that this is not what I want - I want something to enhance the leaf and make it green. While possibly a mistake, the only thing that seemed to fit what I was looking for was 'grass feed' - high in nitrogen, supposedly to give you lush, green grass. I've watered with it today, and it will be interesting to see if it has any effect - either to help the plants or kill them.....
Anyway, mes amis, that is my histoire, and I'm sticking to it. I know that I haven't posted here over the winter (really nothing to report, and the roof blowing off was highly distressing) but I don't want y'all to think that I've given up, floated to the great beyond, or become lost somewhere over the horizon. I am giving this another shot this year.... the planting has already been problematic. I can't wait for the problems that will arise with the curing - if I get that far.
Hope all is well with you guys....
Actually (although no photos) I started earlier this year. My problem, considering my location, is bad and iffy weather until June (or later), no sun in my windows until the end of April, etc., so that anything I start indoors early enough, gets leggy, weak before I can plant it out. So, I got a grow light. A good idea, as, while the seed, for some reason, took a bit longer to germinate, it finally came up, came up fairly strong...and straight. I planted (unknowingly) about 70 Virginia plants and about 30 Burley. And, as I am compassionate and against capital punishment (sorry for those who may disagree), I did not murder one seedling. They are all on their way to becoming adults. I started them about a month earlier this year than last year - so started them on April 1. It took the better part of a week to see anything coming up at all - then suddenly, there were little buds in the soil, then tiny little plants and....there they remained just like that, for about 4 days. I wondered if the light was no good, on too long, not on long enough, etc. But within about 4 days or so, they took off again. It took until April 24 or so for them to reach about an inch tall....So slow!! I was a bit disheartened, as I planted them at the same time I planted my vegetables - my vegetable plants (beans, cabbage, etc.) were now about 6 inches tall, totally overshadowing the tiny tobacco plants. But then again, what do I expect from such teeny weeny seeds???
I finally put the flats out in my crappy greenhouse on the 9th of May, and let them get acclimated to being 'outside'....
And in the meantime, I went up the hill to prepare my tunnel - having not really seen it all winter - for the advent of its new inhabitants. Um, no... the tunnel was completely trashed - the sides were flapping in the wind. But, amusingly, a couple of tobacco plants that I had stripped, but not pulled, and left in the tunnel - over the whole winter - were still alive and.....flowering. Geesh, where on earth do I live, where suddenly physics, or biology or whatever, is so topsy turvy???
My little plants grew well in the greenhouse, and within less than a week, I began to repot them from the flats into little pots, where I would keep them until I would see the roots starting to come out of the bottoms of the pots. In the meantime, two tobacco plants that had been in the greenhouse all winter, sitting there about a foot high with small, narrow leaves, began to wake up. One flowered within a week or so. The other is continuing to grow, with larger leaves. It's really weird.
Meanwhile, handy as I am, I went up to the tunnel, had a friend of mine turn all the soil in it, weed it etc. - I am too dainty for this type of work - and I tried tying up the sides of the tunnel to the frame, as best I could. My thought was - as plants actually survived in there all winter, not to worry about the plastic being intact (impossible as the roof is pretty trashed - the plastic in between the green mesh had actually deteriorated)but to use the sides of the tunnel as a kind of windbreak. It would protect the plants from the wind, but still allow the rain and sun in. A good plan, I thought. So, the tunnel was 'ready' anytime the plants were.
By the 7th of June (a month earlier than last year) 35 plants went up into the tunnel. I'm really trying to be good - planting them a decent distance from each other - at least to start with. The 35 plants took up one side of the tunnel (sadly, as I have plenty more). The 'assembly line was continued - plants that were starting to grow in the original flats were being repotted into small pots, as other plants, having been repotted already, were going up into the tunnel. So, those first 35 plants were up there and......were getting mercilessly eaten by SLUGS. I had some pellets from last year - and put them down. The ground was littered blue. But the slugs continued, so I thought perhaps they had lost their 'efficiency'. I bought more pellets. What has happened to these slug pellets????? They used to be 'industrial' grade - big warnings not to put them anywhere near where anything edible was. They used to be blue. Now, all I can find are white ones. You can put them next to your 'strawberries'. They are pure shite. The one side of the tunnel was littered with white and blue pellets. Very colorful. And each day, more bottom leaves were eaten. I had this vision of the slugs - replete with French accents - coming in, munching on the leaves, spying the pellets and saying...'Ah, merci for the dessert!!' I must suffer with these new pellets, as there are no others to be had here. Once the plants start to grow a bit, the slugs will be less of a problem on the upper leaves. I hope.
Over the course of the last 2 weeks, the rest of the plants (another 35) have gone up into the tunnel. It is now 'full'...for the moment, as I still have, what, another 30 or 40 sitting in pots with nowhere to go? The ones in the pots are still fairly small, however, so I have time to think about what to do with them.
And now (naturally) for my dilemma......You may recall (although probably not) that last year I complained that the plants were not a 'lush' green, but rather a pale green. I am having a similar problem this year - only worse. While I understand that there will be a bit of a 'shock' with transplanting, etc., the plants up in the tunnel appear to be a different color, than what is growing in the pots. So, perhaps some feed is needed....???? Most of the liquid feed that I find here is for flowers, fruit, etc. I'm assuming that this is not what I want - I want something to enhance the leaf and make it green. While possibly a mistake, the only thing that seemed to fit what I was looking for was 'grass feed' - high in nitrogen, supposedly to give you lush, green grass. I've watered with it today, and it will be interesting to see if it has any effect - either to help the plants or kill them.....
Anyway, mes amis, that is my histoire, and I'm sticking to it. I know that I haven't posted here over the winter (really nothing to report, and the roof blowing off was highly distressing) but I don't want y'all to think that I've given up, floated to the great beyond, or become lost somewhere over the horizon. I am giving this another shot this year.... the planting has already been problematic. I can't wait for the problems that will arise with the curing - if I get that far.
Hope all is well with you guys....
