Growing my own tobacco -I've had it with these prices! (A journal)

6-21-5 | RandallFlagg

[RandallFlagg]

Since I have to get to bed, I'm just going to paste what I placed into the coffinnails.com forum. There's relevant questions inclused that I'll place on this thread if they get answered.

Day one -finally got my seeds!

Them things are SMALL! Sheesh! I had to fuzzy up the end of a Q-Tip to place them into the trays. Before I screw things up, there's a few questions I must ask. The 200 seeds I got are Dark Virginia. I'm doing 16 at a time.

Will the unused seeds keep for a while? I'd like to grow 'em in staggered stages. Will regular tap water work, or will I have to use distilled or rainwater? I have to used that kind for my Venus's Flytraps. Flourescent lighting. Will it work well for staggered stage growing year-round? Humidity? Someone told me that nicotine is a natural insect repellant. Is this true? Has anyone here saved the $$$ they expected to save? That's why I'm doing this. What's the best soil to use?

Luckily, there's a big place near my home called Paulino's Gardens, where I can find almost all the accessories I need for this venture of mine. I'll update on this thread as I go along.

OH! First entry: Got seeds three days ago and placed them on top of potting soil in 16-cube icetray container with holes in the bottom. Placed trays in my carnivorous plant terrarium that uses three 15-watt flourescent bulbs on a 18-hour timer. Sprayed and soaked with rainwater. Crossing my fingers.

Last question for the day: How long should it be before something actually grows?

[AppyPappy]

You got the fever now. There is no cure.

[RandallFlagg]

Tobacco, VFTs or the green thumb fever?

I was actually craving starting a garden next year.

[Calpernia]

>>>>About the only thing I've ever been any good at growing is a Venus Flytrap

hee hee

[Gabz]

Good for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RandallFlagg]

Once it gets big enough, I'll plant it outside to guard my "Rice/Rumsfeld" election signs in the next three years on my front lawn.

[Bonafide]

I've been thinking about how to respond to you for several days.

It just depends on who you are. If you are a fancy heart surgeon, making gazillions per hour, it wouldn't do you much good to grow your own. However, if you are a an aspiring republican, making 6.00 per hour, it just might be worth it.

On the other hand, if you are a rich republican and are enjoying your tax break and retirement, it might be worth growing your own, just to have something to do.

I am one of those.

[cyborg]

nice plants!

[Bonafide]

Good Job!

I suggest you take up citrus plants next. I have two lemons, one orange, and three limes on my trees, in Kansas.

Going to cut that lime, dip it some Maker's Mark and enjoy a roll my own smoke. Life can't get much better!

[Raycpa]

You are correct. My point was that one needs to factor in the value of their labor which is largely subjective.

I know surgeons who would rather be planting.

[RandallFlagg]

Update! (Friday, July 22nd, 2005)

Well, since my first batch fried in these 100+ degree temps in the last two weeks, I'm starting over again. I did, however, discover a whole bunch of nice little goodies that I should have used from the begining. I found this seed starting tray for less than twenty dollars:

and it holds 28 seedlings at a time. The tray is peat moss which I'll easily cut loose from the tray with scissors when the tobacco is ready for moving into a bigger area. The roots are really tiny!
Each of the 28 sections are about one inch square:

...And it has a plastic dome to cover the whole thing.

So, I'm starting all over again. BUT, we're thinking about moving into this nice house with a big garage where I can have the room to do the year-round thing.

[RandallFlagg]

Ping to post #310

[Bonafide]

Looking for an update on your tobacco project. How is it going?

[RandallFlagg]

Great!

..Until my Mom accidentally kicked the tray over and didn't tell me about it; they all died. We're planning to move soon and will have to re-start this again when next season begins. But, the place we're looking at has a big garage that has room for flourescent fixtures for indoor growing year round.

[porkchops 4 mahound]

bump

[Black Tooth]

bookmark

[Schwaeky]

Do they sell bulk menthol tobacco, or light 100 tubes??? I'm partial to Marlboro Menthol light 100s personally, but they are too expensive, and wouldn't mind making my own, though growing the tobacco is a bit much (would get in the way of my peach trees...

[porkchops 4 mahound]

I read somewhere, that in England, in London, that they sold "disposable" clay pipes preloaded with tobacco in the seventeenth century.

[T Minus Four]

Rinse the seeds twice a day and let them drain upside down

How can you tell if those itty-bitty seeds are upside down or right-side up? :-)

[JohnD9207]

Sprouts are great...keep it up.

As a side note, I just got home today after a week in Alaska. Great place to visit, nice people and all that but if you or anyone else takes a trip there be forewarned, cigarettes are $6.25 a pack. However for the low price of $53.00 you can get a carton. Glad I only was there for a week. I suppose the growing season is short there, how long does it take to grow a mature tobacco plant? Just wondering.

Good Luck.

[FreedomCalls]

Maybe in your neck of the woods, but in Maryland, we cut the entire tobacco plant, speared the plants onto sticks and hung them, top down where they air cured in the barn.

That's how you produce burley tobacco which is used for chewing tobacco and pipe tobacco.

There was no bed of coals, and no furnace, just boards in the sides of the barns which allowed air to circulate.

That's how you flue cure tobacco which is used in cigarettes and snuff. It's much milder because of the quicker cure. Burley tobacco used in a cigarette will be nasty.