Cold weather variety? Want non-sweet product.
- Thread starter WBcutter
- Start date
-
- Tags
- cold weather wb cut zone 3
- Status
Those of us that have built kilns (not for fire curing) use a crock pot filled with water as both a heat source and humidity source. Temperature is controlled with one of these controllers: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fahrenheit-...ostat-Relay-/281294885235?hash=item417e7b5173
Humidity is controlled by how much the crock pot lid is cocked open. You can use the same technique to air cure with lower temps than is used for kilning (speed aging cured leaf).
Here's the kiln I built, you can also use your closed in area instead of building an insulated box since air curing temps are lower than kilning temps. Same general idea: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/5688-Knuckleheads-Wooden-Box-Kiln-Build
You would use air curing temps and humidity rather than kilning temps and humidity.
Deluxestogie also recently built a box kiln. Helpful info: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads...oskeletal-Wood-Tobacco-Kiln-Flue-cure-chamber
WBcutter
Active Member
Crock-pot for heat and humidity...brilliant for my situation. If my 1st year growing experiment works, I will invest the time and energy to construct a box kiln.
Or I could construct a box now to store all the household junk that I will be displacing from the niche - good practice, considering my zero-level carpentry skills. Circular saws are terrifying.
Or I could construct a box now to store all the household junk that I will be displacing from the niche - good practice, considering my zero-level carpentry skills. Circular saws are terrifying.
Bob and I have about decided the wood structure is not completely necessary. A nice home built kiln can be constructed using only the foam board and tyvek tape. Score the foam board with a utility knife and it will snap along that score line. It could be taken apart for storage, which could be very beneficial in an apartment.
DGBAMA used his chamber to air cure in last year. Helpful info: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3064-DGBAMA-Redneck-Curing-Chamber-Build
He also grew some plants inside beside a window. That could possibly expand your grow area: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/5380-available-light-and-indoor-growing-interesting-observation
WBcutter
Active Member
Got a circular saw for my birthday! I will make a curing chamber. Has to be done before first frost! Thank you for the inspiration.
That's what I used for quite a few years. Just a 4x4x5ft box made of rigid foam. Worked great and I was able to knock it down after I was kilning.
I'm in Vermont and the best I've grown have been bigbonners narrow leaf madole, it had the thickest leaves and the largest, we're talking 3 feet long and maybe 2+feet wide.
I've grown duale, it was not impressive.
My only advice is to focus on dark air varieties. I see that black mammoth listed a lot but have no experience with it.
As to maturity times, I've grown the exotic and the common stuff from down south and they all seem to finish around the same time.
I'd recommend letting bigbonner start the seeds and ship them to you, save the seed and worry about seed starting the following year.
I've grown duale, it was not impressive.
My only advice is to focus on dark air varieties. I see that black mammoth listed a lot but have no experience with it.
As to maturity times, I've grown the exotic and the common stuff from down south and they all seem to finish around the same time.
I'd recommend letting bigbonner start the seeds and ship them to you, save the seed and worry about seed starting the following year.
WBcutter
Active Member
The Ahus leaves are not very big. My Minneapolis plants are getting stiff and waxy. The northern MN plants are still soft. Anyhow, I will try bigbonners narrow leaf madole next year. I have no idea what I am doing, but I will push this project through! One thing that strikes me about puzzling this out is how much knowledge we absorb from our upbringing. Last week, someone who had people in Kentucky was checking out the Mps community garden area on a break from a bike ride. He casually mentioned that tobacco is harvested once it's "in the case" (has a waxy coating) and the stem starts to yellow. Learned a lot from him in 3 minutes. I never knew a single person who grew tobacco, but I can snare rabbits when it's 20 below zero.
WBcutter
Active Member
Jitterbugdude and others, it is good to know that foam boards is all that I really need. I might wind up starting with that, given my schedule. However, my husband got me this saw, so I am fantasizing about a cute wooden rolly cabinet, which will my first plunge into carpentry!
If the carpentry bit doesn't work out, troll craigslist for an old possibly broken refrigerator/freezer, they can be made to work well too.
I am taking an old cabinet 4x8ft 2ft deep and adding foam for insulation. For heat and humidity I built a controller box that will control the heat source and humidifier. That reminds me I got to go finish and take some pics for a update on my build thread 
WBcutter
Active Member
It might have been my growing conditions, but I thought the yield was low and the leaves were small. I pile-cured the product, but haven't processed it into chewing tobacco yet. Think I will try a different variety next year. Here are pictures of one of the batches.
I will visit another thread to find out how to process the dried leaves.
I will visit another thread to find out how to process the dried leaves.
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
How many plants is that, WBcutter?
It may not be a lot, but it sure looks like it cured well.
What type of tobacco is it?
You're in northern Minnesota? I lived on the Lake of the Woods on the Canadian side a long time ago. Growing conditions may have something to do with it. Weather is a big part, but starting on time, and soil conditions, you have the power to improve. I had big differences in results this year at different locations despite the weather being almost the same.
WBcutter
Active Member
Hi ChinaVoodoo,
I grew Ahus (http://sustainableseedco.com/ahus-tobacco.html); I think Ahus leaves are naturally on the small side, based on the seed catalog pictures. I wound up with 3 plants in Minneapolis - 2 in a community garden plot (scandalous!) and one in a 5-gallon bucket behind the apartment. Also planted some up in the Ely area that were not worth harvesting, for many reasons. I wound up curing 2 batches - 94 leaves and 30+ even smaller leaves.
Ahus spent all its time making suckers upon suckers upon suckers. Definitely going to try another variety this spring...suggestion?
I grew Ahus (http://sustainableseedco.com/ahus-tobacco.html); I think Ahus leaves are naturally on the small side, based on the seed catalog pictures. I wound up with 3 plants in Minneapolis - 2 in a community garden plot (scandalous!) and one in a 5-gallon bucket behind the apartment. Also planted some up in the Ely area that were not worth harvesting, for many reasons. I wound up curing 2 batches - 94 leaves and 30+ even smaller leaves.
Ahus spent all its time making suckers upon suckers upon suckers. Definitely going to try another variety this spring...suggestion?
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
For better yield, my suggestion.... http://nwtseeds.com/small_stalk_black_mammoth.htm
Early maturing, easy cure, and good flavor.
- Status
