Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Hello from Louisiana

Status
Not open for further replies.

Dale

New Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Messages
2
Points
0
Location
Louisiana, USA
Hi everyone - I am so happy to find this great site. Thanks to everyone for sharing their expertise. I am new to smoking & growing, but I already want to dip a toe in by trying to raise a few plants (~20?) in my backyard in 2017. At this point in my journey, I enjoy small cigars/cigarillos since I prefer shorter smoking sessions more frequently, and my favorites are maduro. It will be interesting to see if I can produce anything smokable. My great-grandfather was a tobacco farmer in Maryland (1920's - 1950's) so maybe it is in my blood! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
It will be interesting to see if I can produce anything smokable.
Welcome to FTT. And yes, you can produce something smokable. Have a look at http://www.northwoodseeds.com/Seed List2.htm and http://www.newhopeseed.com/tobacco_seeds.html for a broad selection.

Light leaf vs. dark leaf is a matter of stalk position on cigar varieties. Lower leaves are lighter in color and strength; upper leaves are darker.

Be sure to read the FAQ (link at top of page), and bookmark the index to key forum threads: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3868-Key-threads-in-the-FTT-forum

Bob
 

Hasse SWE

Well-Known Member
Founding Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2013
Messages
1,315
Points
63
Location
Sweden (Värnamo)
Welcome interesting information about your grandfather sometimes thing just seems to be in the blood..So welcome home then..
 

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
Hi everyone - I am so happy to find this great site. Thanks to everyone for sharing their expertise. I am new to smoking & growing, but I already want to dip a toe in by trying to raise a few plants (~20?) in my backyard in 2017. At this point in my journey, I enjoy small cigars/cigarillos since I prefer shorter smoking sessions more frequently, and my favorites are maduro. It will be interesting to see if I can produce anything smokable. My great-grandfather was a tobacco farmer in Maryland (1920's - 1950's) so maybe it is in my blood! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Welcome to FTT ,Dale. I'm sure a crop is in your future. Matter of fact , just for the sake of your being a Louisianian ,you should grow some Perique. How big is your growing plot? 20 plants is a good start . I have a big garden (locally proportional) and I grow 9 plants of each variety , I end up with around 108-126 plants . The number 9 divides well into the 72 spaces in a simple seed flat. I have grown for 2 seasons so far and I can tell you it is fun to get that seed fever in the spring and watch those seeds pop out green leaves. Next thing you know you've got plants ready for setting out and it keeps you busy all summer. Make sure you have a shed or some place set aside to color cure your harvest. Might I also suggest Little Dutch ,and Virginia Gold, great first timer varieties with a big yield and air curing. You might even be able to grow 2 crops given your longer growing season than us northerners (I'm just a bit south of Chicago) and I have quite a lengthy season - usually I can set plants out in late May and go until late October or even mid November and not have to worry about heavy frost. Read everything in this forum and don't be afraid to ask questions.
 

Charly

Moderator
Joined
May 1, 2016
Messages
2,209
Points
113
Location
France
Welcome Dale :)

This is a GREAT site indeed !
With all the precious informations you find here, you can't go wrong.
I did my first growing season in 2016, and I am waiting for my tobacco to age properly (it is becoming better than it was a few weeks ago, so I wait :) )
Good luck with your first grow.
 

Dale

New Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Messages
2
Points
0
Location
Louisiana, USA
Thanks for the warm welcome! That’s a staggering array of seed varieties at Northwood Seeds, Bob! Thanks for the tips, Smokin Harley, I thought about 2 crops, but unfortunately my yard gets shaded by a neighbor’s tall tree to the south, so early spring and late fall are dodgy when it comes to sunshine. Unless I move, I will probably be restricted to the April – August timeframe for full sun. As for my soil, I’m a little concerned about overly wet conditions as it is slow to drain when we have a lot of rain in a short time, which happens frequently down here. For some reason the iron content is also high – 250 ppm. I haven’t been able to find if that is toxic. In the meantime, I am happy that there are vendors of whole, cured, fermented leaves. If I can get the knack for rolling my own, that would drastically cut the costs of buying cigars and give me satisfaction in learning the craft.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
One approach to boggy soil is to till in a large quantity of organic matter (compost, etc.), so that the growing bed is actually raised a bit from the surrounding soil. [This is a poor man's "raised" bed.] For 20 plants (est. 3.75 ft[sup]2[/sup] per plant --> ~75 ft[sup]2[/sup]) you might realistically till in four to six 50 lb. bags of compost. Black Kow is probably the best you can get, at ~$5-$7 per bag.

Bob
 

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
might want to add some sand too. Our soil has a high clay content . In the summer heat it gets hard like concrete and cracks. I've added sand (and,manures, and peat)last 3 years and its helped keep the soil loose .
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top