Grow Year 2018 - RBLeaf

[RBLeaf]

Greetings! First year growing tobacco, three varieties started from seed; Yellow Twist Bud, Virginia Bright Leaf and One Sucker. Growing on a former tobacco farm with curing barns on property. Planning on using one of these at the end of the growing season. Soil tested, waiting to put the youngsters in once it warms up a bit. Any thoughts?

 

[burge]

Re: Grow Year 2018

Ya your lucky to have the curing barns.

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Be sure to read the Growers' FAQ (link at the top of every page). Also, you may find some of the links in the Index of Key Forum Threads helpful: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3868-Key-threads-in-the-FTT-forum

Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum.

How large a grow are you planning for 2018?

Bob

 

[greenmonster714]

Welcome aboard. Obviously you've already been doing a lot of reading. Sound like your ready to go. What a benefit it is to have buildings ready for the task. What are you planning to do with the tobacco? Chew, snus, cigs, cigars, or pipe? This will be a good thread to watch. Best of luck to ya.

 

[RBLeaf]

Almost a quarter-acre this year. However, I have plenty of land for "future expansion" if desired. I also raise a vegetable garden every year which is quite large by conventional standards.

 

[RBLeaf]

Thank you! Primarily chew and pipe. Though I would like to grow/process a blend for cigarette rolling for a brother and some friends. My avatar is a pic of one of those curing barns!

 

[Levi Gross]

Wow that’s awesome RBLeaf! Can you post some pics of the barns... I would love to see how they are constructed. It also sounds like you picked three great varieties to start with. I’m growing One Sucker as well. Very best wishes on your grow.

 

[deluxestogie]

RBLeaf, the beautiful barn photo as your profile photo is apparently not set as your avatar.

1/2 acre is a bunch of work. I assume you have some mechanization, at least for tilling.

For pipe and cigarette, be sure to read the threads on flue-curing.

Bob

 

[RBLeaf]

Thank you for your encouragement! Yes, I will post some additional pics of the barns. My avatar is one of them. I will get some interior "views" of the barns soon.

 

[RBLeaf]

Thank you for the avatar alert, I will check on that. Farming is my second "job" if you will, but to me, it doesn't seem like a job for I enjoy it!

 

[BarG]

I like your attitude, Its not work if you like what your doing. unless it wears you out then its too much like work heh heh.

 

[BarG]

I wish everybody had your enthusiasm in the world these days. RBLeaf if your for real.

 

[RBLeaf]

Soaked one,three and five gallon black plastic nursery "cans" (as they are called in the nursery vernacular) with a mild solution of bleach and water. Will leave these in this solution overnight, then scrub, rinse and left in the sun to dry. I will be using the five gallon size for some of the extra tobacco plants as an ornamental display on the deck. I also bought one square yard of organza fabric to fashion "seed head bags" for the "harvest." Deep tilling in progress. Next step is "hillin' up the rows." BTW: my tobacco plot is on the leeward side of a south-facing hill with a gradual slope. The soil is primarily a sandy-loam with a smaller fraction of silt. Interestingly enough, after a good rain, the silt "floats" to the top of the soil profile creating a "barrier" which significantly retards evaporation of water. This I expect will assist in keeping the moisture content fairly consistent during the driest parts of the summer. Stay tuned!

 

[Levi Gross]

That is one thing that I have never done but I see in here a lot of people doing it is hilling up their tobacco rows

 

[deluxestogie]

Hilling of tobacco plantings is dependent on the nature of the soil, and the climate. In general, soil that tends to get waterlogged will keep the tobacco happier if the plants are raised a bit above the surrounding soil.

I should clarify that there are two distinct methods of "hilling". One is to plant the wee seedlings along the crest of a row. The other is to plant the seedlings on a flat field, then, as the stalks grow taller, to mound the dirt onto them. The former method is useful in soggy soil, whereas the latter method assists in stabilizing plants against the wind.

Bob

 

[RBLeaf]

You are correct, Bob! After doing some research in my geographical area, it was common practice to do both. I am planting on the crest of the row (as that is how many did it here) and from what I understand, yielded the best results. However, there were some farmers that would "pull" the soil up to the plants in lieu of the aforementioned. This was typically done in the fields that were susceptible to windy conditions. Also, too, there were some who utilized both methods on the same crop. We do get some fairly intense summer storms in my region from time to time, but at that point I'm watching other things as well!

 

[RBLeaf]

Thank you!

 

[RBLeaf]

Putting in tobacco plants now! A friend of mine who grows brought me approximately 100 plants of K 326. Will be putting some of these in as well. Dry, windy days recently with cool mornings to plant in...

 

[deluxestogie]

It looks like July weather is arriving for your weekend. Well-watered transplants may droop frighteningly in the afternoon. Grit your teeth, and don't water if the soil seems adequately moist. If they've perked up again by morning, then decide on additional water by the moisture of the soil.

Bob

EDIT: If your friend is an experienced grower, definitely take his (or her) advice over mine.

 

[RBLeaf]

Yes...looks to be hot this weekend..thanks for the advice!