Deluxestogie Grow Log 2023

[deluxestogie]

which variety is the new variety this year?

Tofta. The vendor whom @loui loui cited for his tobacco seed source, and whom I then emailed regarding some seed of that Swedish landrace variety, turned out to be none other than the person who translated my first pipe blending book into Swedish. What a delightful surprise that was.

I'll be growing it here in Virginia, to collect data on its characteristics.

Bob

 

[loui loui]

Tofta. The vendor whom @loui loui cited for his tobacco seed source, and whom I then emailed regarding some seed of that Swedish landrace variety, turned out to be none other than the person who translated my first pipe blending book into Swedish. What a delightful surprise that was.

I'll be growing it here in Virginia, to collect data on its characteristics.

Bob

The world is small my friend!
Very nice that you will grow Tofta in Virginia!
9/10 germinated within a few days

 

[deluxestogie]

More busywork out of the way

Cut from scrap Tyvek envelope, these little tags will be taped to my 8 germination cups—part for the cup and part for its lid. The labels are water proof, and marked with a Sharpie. Completing these little, fiddly tasks in advance makes setting up the germination cups less onerous when the time comes. I've already set aside the cups and lids, but they still need to be washed and sanitized before use. Tomorrow, I'll check my bucket of seedling mix, to see if I have enough in there for the 8 cups, or if I need to mix more of it. I will start germination the final week of February.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

At 2 pm this afternoon, the temperature outside was 47°F. I set for myself the goal of tilling one of my half-size beds. One half-bed. Just one half-bed. But alas, I had to let it go...let it go...let it go. The ground is still completely Frozen.

Bob

 

[Alpine]

Don’t be upset Bob, my garden is frozen too, AND covered by 20 inches of snow. Oh well, I’ll re-till my garden in late April, as usual.

pier

 

[deluxestogie]

It's just not my day. I was supposed to be able to see a launch of a Rocket Lab mission from Wallops Island, (on the Atlantic coast) this evening. It would be visible to me, 275 miles away, about 120 seconds after launch, above my eastern horizon. I watched the launch on-line, holding a timer set to 2 minutes. After liftoff, I went out to my carefully darkened living room, sat in a specific, dark corner, and gazed out the window directly to the East. Clouds far off on the eastern horizon blocked any view.

[After giving up, I glanced out a different window. There was enough ambient light out in the back yard, that I was able to assuage my disappointment by watching the local, stray, black cat devouring a small rodent. That cat sure takes its time, and savors every crunchy bite.]

It's a good thing I'm not going January stir crazy.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

I have used these 8 ounce, plastic freezer jars for seed germination for over a decade. Prior to use each winter, I clean and sanitize the threaded, plastic lids, then scrub, wash and sanitize the jars. In the photo above, I've already washed them. Now they are all filled with water, each containing about a 5 cc of Clorox. I'll allow them to soak for at least an hour, then rinse thoroughly, and dry.

The plastic of these jars is not protected from UV light, so a low percentage of them have developed cracks over the years of use, and have been discarded. But since I initially used them in a season with 43 different tobacco varieties, I have lots of spares. So far as I can determine, this particular style of Ball freezer jar has gone out of production.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

The 1 week result of germination for my 2011 Xanthi Yaka 18A seed:

Yay!

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

If I sanitize something with a bleach solution I never rinse it out - I'd be re-introducing bacteria in the rinse water. Just let it air dry upside down. The residual bleach will decompose to an insignificant amount of NaCl when it dries.

 

[deluxestogie]

I never rinse it out

That is a sound, laboratory method. I'm not worried about the bacteria that inhabit my well water. That's what I'll be watering with. My reason for the bleach is to kill any tobacco specific microbes.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Bob

 

[Plinsc]

Haha I get those and the little cans of potted meat, makes the wife roll her eyes at me!

 

[GreenDragon]

Put a dollop of peanut butter and jelly on top - delish!

 

[deluxestogie]

dollop of peanut butter

Peanut butter is indeed the wellspring of life. But finding any Lance crackers without peanut butter is the true challenge. Cream cheese with chives, and the cheddar ones often require a lengthy search. This parcel of 40 cracker packs says, "Best if used by 2023 Mar 23." Thanks, Walmart. I may have to take a leave of absence from the forum to get them eaten in time.

[Science note: crackers that go stale may or may not taste icky, as the oils oxidize. But they are safe and nutritious to eat. Sandwich crackers with PB or cheese are safe, so long as you see no mold—which requires a long time to develop in unopened packages.]

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Today, I proudly tilled two half-beds. That's 60 square feet! Only 7 times that left to go.

Bob the Farmer

 

[Joe Swart]

Are you using tiller or a broad fork?

 

[deluxestogie]

I am the tiller. I used a long-handle hoe today. My final tilling is done with a mattock.

Bob

 

[Joe Swart]

Wow! You are man's man! I am a man that uses mechanization.

 

[deluxestogie]

I used to double-dig each of my beds down to 24" each year, using a square-end garden spade and a turning fork. That approach is great for increased density of vegetable planting. But I found that a 24" deep dig increased the risk of tobacco plant blowdowns. I now hand-till down to about 12". Given the small scale of my garden, I have no need of mechanization for tilling. And since I hauled my last TV set to the dump, over a decade ago, I have ample time to till by hand.

During colonial days, tobacco growers determined that a single adult working alone, full-time, could properly tend about 1 acre of tobacco without mechanization. I'm growing about 1% of that (480 square feet).

Bob

 

[Joe Swart]

Your method is much better than the fluffing of a tiller. At this stage I commute 600 miles per week and work 40+ hrs. So no TV for me either.