Bex
Well-Known Member
Ridiculous that I'm actually naming this thread a 'grow blog'...but there it is. This is more for really newbies that aren't familiar with all the intricacies of growing, don't deal with the incredible variety of different kinds of tobacco, etc.
This year, I will be growing lemon virginia, burley, and a couple of new strains of tobacco that I am getting through the generosity of one of the posters here. The new strains are meant to need only a short growing season, which suits my situation pretty well.
I found last year - my most successful year to date, at least with the flue curing - that early germination is essential for the plants that I'm growing. This becomes a bit problematic, as due to the weather here, the short growing season, the wind that I often get - even during summer - I'm really unable to put plants out into my tunnel (or what's left of it) until the beginning of May, which leaves a pretty short growing season - although I will say that the plants are still alive, although not really doing much, well into December.
I've set up a grow light over a heated propagator that I have. My plan is to start this weekend - I'll bring my compost in, get it up to room temperature, clean out the propagator, sort my seeds (and make sure I know which is which, which was a bit of a problem for me last year), get the grow light back in place, and try to train the cat to sit somewhere else, other than on top of the propagator. I imagine I'll be fairly successful with all except the last one.
So, onward and upward...when the time comes, I'll try to post photos, etc. Sadly, as is my usual technique, there are no garden 'plans' or schematics. The tunnel is saved for the tobacco - and I am going to try to use one of my small beds that's somewhat protected, to see if I can get the tobacco to grow outside. The rest of my garden, such as it is, deals with my veg - just for info, I grow asparagus, potatoes, leeks, garlic, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and Pak choi outside, and mange tout and beans in the crappy glasshouse I have......
This year, I will be growing lemon virginia, burley, and a couple of new strains of tobacco that I am getting through the generosity of one of the posters here. The new strains are meant to need only a short growing season, which suits my situation pretty well.
I found last year - my most successful year to date, at least with the flue curing - that early germination is essential for the plants that I'm growing. This becomes a bit problematic, as due to the weather here, the short growing season, the wind that I often get - even during summer - I'm really unable to put plants out into my tunnel (or what's left of it) until the beginning of May, which leaves a pretty short growing season - although I will say that the plants are still alive, although not really doing much, well into December.
I've set up a grow light over a heated propagator that I have. My plan is to start this weekend - I'll bring my compost in, get it up to room temperature, clean out the propagator, sort my seeds (and make sure I know which is which, which was a bit of a problem for me last year), get the grow light back in place, and try to train the cat to sit somewhere else, other than on top of the propagator. I imagine I'll be fairly successful with all except the last one.
So, onward and upward...when the time comes, I'll try to post photos, etc. Sadly, as is my usual technique, there are no garden 'plans' or schematics. The tunnel is saved for the tobacco - and I am going to try to use one of my small beds that's somewhat protected, to see if I can get the tobacco to grow outside. The rest of my garden, such as it is, deals with my veg - just for info, I grow asparagus, potatoes, leeks, garlic, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and Pak choi outside, and mange tout and beans in the crappy glasshouse I have......