Growing Tobacco

Introduction

The latest project here at Regent House is to grow our tobacco. We decided to produce three different varieties: two Virginias and one Burley. The tobacco will be used to craft our snus.

Tobacco is usually grown in home gardens, so gardeners can harvest the plant and know it has no additives. The efforts of growing tobacco began hundreds of years ago, but its popularity has decreased due to health concerns.

Tobacco is also grown for its ornamental appearance. It is a nightshade family member, which includes tomatoes and peppers. Tobacco is typically a warm-weather plant.

To plant

The tobacco seed is tiny, so it must be started indoors. To germinate, it requires a temperature of at least 20 C. Begin the seed in seed compost and not potting mix at least six weeks before temperatures allow you to plant outdoors. Place the seed on top of the compost; do not cover it. In addition to warmer temperatures, it also requires sunlight to germinate. Mist the seeds with a mister water bottle.

To grow

Seedlings are ready to be transplanted once they reach 15-20 centimeters in height. Transplant them after all dangers of frost have passed. To grow its broad leaves, tobacco plants require full sun. If it grows in partial sun, its leaves will be skinny. Tobacco prefers soil with a pH of 5.8 and well-drained soils. Space the transplants 50-70 centimeters apart in rows set one meter apart.

Transplant them in the evening to prevent the plants from drying out, and water thoroughly after transplanting. Once transplanted, water the tobacco plant daily until it becomes established. Once flowers and suckers appear on the plant, remove them to encourage more growth in the tobacco leaves.

To harvest

Tobacco plants can be harvested by cutting down the entire plant or pulling individual leaves. Tobacco leaves are ready to harvest from the ground up. Once harvested, the leaves are dried through a process called curing. Curing can be done by air, where it is hung in a barn, or two other ways — flue-cured tobacco and sun-cured tobacco.

To make flue-cured tobacco, the leaves are added to tobacco sticks which are then hung in a barn’s kiln, which will heat cure the tobacco but not expose it to smoke. To sun-cure tobacco, the leaves are placed in the sun and dried.

What tobacco craves

To fertilize tobacco, use the same fertilizers used for tomatoes or peppers. The fertilizer should contain no chlorine, and its nitrogen should be in nitrate form. Apply the fertilizer over several instances to the soil before transplanting and continuously throughout the tobacco’s growing season to keep the leaves a solid green color. Once flowers begin to form, stop the fertilization process.