Wruk53 2024 Grow Log
- Thread starter wruk53
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wruk53
Well-Known Member
I put a one quarter inch layer of vermiculite on top of the seedling mix. My normal seedling mix is 2 parts peat moss. 2 parts perlite and 1 part vermiculite.
wruk53
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Olmstead
Member
This may be a dumb question—especially since I've been to Florida several times and saw my grandfather's garden there—but I'm assuming your best tobacco season is from September to December-ish? Is this because of the heat, or the rain, or both? I would assume the hurricane season during September and October would be lousy for growing, but I guess it works.
Tofta: This variety interested me for its size and lineage, so I bought some Tofta seeds this year, but didn't plant them as I had so many others—TN90 Burley, Limonka Rustica (mistake-ica lol), and American 572—filling up my garden. This fall I'm gonna burn a big strip through my new empty lot with the ol' tiller and create a new tobacco-specific garden for next year.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the Tofta works out for you. My climate here on upper Cape Cod during the summer is extremely humid—averaging 80% from late May to now. Today's the first day below 85% humidity in over two weeks, and tonight it'll be back up to 98%. For the last four summers it's also been very hot, with 80ºF+ days and nights well over 70ºF. Since I don't think that's far off from a Florida late summer and autumn, I'd bet whatever does well down there during your season will likely do okay up here in summer.
Good luck!
Tofta: This variety interested me for its size and lineage, so I bought some Tofta seeds this year, but didn't plant them as I had so many others—TN90 Burley, Limonka Rustica (mistake-ica lol), and American 572—filling up my garden. This fall I'm gonna burn a big strip through my new empty lot with the ol' tiller and create a new tobacco-specific garden for next year.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the Tofta works out for you. My climate here on upper Cape Cod during the summer is extremely humid—averaging 80% from late May to now. Today's the first day below 85% humidity in over two weeks, and tonight it'll be back up to 98%. For the last four summers it's also been very hot, with 80ºF+ days and nights well over 70ºF. Since I don't think that's far off from a Florida late summer and autumn, I'd bet whatever does well down there during your season will likely do okay up here in summer.
Good luck!
wruk53
Well-Known Member
I have 2 really good seasons for growing tobacco, sometimes you can manage a third crop in the winter. For a spring crop, I start seeds on the first of January and transplant in early February, harvest in May-June before the rainy season is in full force. In the fall I start seeds in July-August, transplant in September, harvest November-December. I don't pay any attention to the hurricane season, what you need to avoid is the heavy almost daily rains from June through about Mid-September. During that period, we will normally receive about 3 feet of rain. Rainy season tapers off in September, October is usually pretty dry and by November it is usually very dry. We hardly ever have any freezing weather, so winter crops are possible, although it would have to overlap the other 2 grows. If I remember correctly, the first/last frost dates for this latitude are Dec. 28/Feb. 3. Farming/gardening is always a gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Olmstead
Member
Thanks for the very concise answer. Now I remember that mid-summer rain you guys have down there. It'd rain for at least a few minutes (or a whole day) every day through the height of the summer over in Pasco County.
Your frost dates are December 28th to February 3rd, heh! Ah, that's Florida for you. I'm in zone 7, but only because of my proximity to the ocean. Drive just a few miles north, and you're in zone 6. Our frost dates are roughly November 4th to April 15th…roughly. Spring is always a coin toss here, and is almost always cooler than even 15-20 miles inland (the ocean's still cold in May).
Well put.
I have had some amazing years here, and I've had some real heartbreakers. Best of luck to you! I've enjoyed going through your older entires.
Olmstead
Member
wruk53
Well-Known Member
Wrong user page, but I like it!
Olmstead
Member
Whoops! I also didn't mean to put the full-sized picture on there. Spent too much time drawing it up and not enough time posting!
Finally, what is not self explanatory about the design is that it'd be hung up off the floor—that way the leaves would hang down in open air, not against the wires. However, wider-spaced wires would allow it to be sat on its side (as it's drawn) so that it could stand on its side, and possibly saving you a lot of space (depending on leaf size).
wruk53
Well-Known Member
I bought 16 bags of mulch this morning. I should be able to fill 50 plus containers with it. I'll start prepping containers in the next few days.
The 24 pots of Tofta were getting very leggy and flopping over in the limited sunlight on the porch, so I trimmed some of the largest leaves to remove some of the weight. I can't leave them out in the open due to the massive amounts of rainfall this time of year.
I put the 50 Little yellow in the cab. I get much better results in the cab vs. on the porch. LY was started about a week after the Tofta.
The 24 pots of Tofta were getting very leggy and flopping over in the limited sunlight on the porch, so I trimmed some of the largest leaves to remove some of the weight. I can't leave them out in the open due to the massive amounts of rainfall this time of year.
I put the 50 Little yellow in the cab. I get much better results in the cab vs. on the porch. LY was started about a week after the Tofta.
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wruk53
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Over the last few days, I filled my containers with mulch. Today I set up the weed fabric and spaced the containers at 20 inches from center to center. The center row has 23 containers, the other two have 20. In a few days I'll plant the Tofta, the Little yellow needs a few more weeks in the tray.
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wruk53
Well-Known Member
wruk53
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Transplanted 39 Little Yellow seedlings this morning. It's supposed to be a little less hot and cloudier for the next few days. It's been a week since I planted the Tofta, it's growing well.
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I sense that Little Yellow was headed for oblivion, until the home tobacco growing community recognized its unique qualities. My impression is that Little Yellow is unlike any other dark air-cured variety. Your grow of Little Yellow may be its largest grow-out this year—in the entire world!
Bob
Bob
wruk53
Well-Known Member
It would really be a shame to lose that one. It made the best single variety snus that I've had so far and had a good yield.
MadFarmer
Well-Known Member
Has anyone grown Little Yellow for uses other than snus? I like a revival
Little Yellow is an excellent choice for a dark air-cured component in a pipe blend. There are some pipe blending recipes using Little Yellow in the free download of Ninety More Pipe Blends.
fairtradetobacco.com
Bob
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Bob
wruk53
Well-Known Member
Skafidr
Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity, like everywhere in the northern hemisphere, daylight duration gets shorter every day nowadays, does this impact the plants growth?
