Tobacco: The Agriculture of it

[Mr. White]

Does anyone know what the growing season is for planting, growing, harvesting?

[tzaddi]

Right Now...need seeds?

—Richard

[accorddude]

In the states atleast you start planting the seedlings in flats 4-6 wks before the last frost. So by now or with in a week or two the seedlings should be in the ground in most of the southern United States. The harvest will happen depending on where it was grown in late July through early September. Then the tobacco is dried in drying barns.

[RGD]

It's a little different depending on where it's being grown, type of plant and the method of harvest. On our farm in southern Indiana when we use to grow Burley - seedlings were planted early and then covered with cloth in large beds.

After the frost is over then the seedlings are harvested and planted in the fields. Regular inspections throughout the summer months take place to worm and top the the plants. Sometime near the end of August/September the plants are cut and hung in the barn to cure. Curing lasts until October/November when they are taken down, the leaves stripped and tied into "hands" - from there they go to the warehouse for auction.

Couple months later - start it all over again.

Most Burley tobacco is grown for pipes and cigarettes - not so much cigars. For cigars the tobacco is harvested one leaf at a time - verses Burley which is stalk cut, skewed on a tobacco stick and hung up.

Nasty, work - but the barns in the fall are filled with glorious aroma's!


Ron

[tzaddi]

If you are interested I just added an update to the growing tobacco thread.
http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=77343

Periodically I will add aditional photos as the plants mature throughout the season.

—Richard

[Mr. White]

I appreciate the response.

Unfortunately growing is not an option for me, living in an Apt. as I do. Back when I made this post I was doing a lot of research on it for a project I was working on, and strangely enough, the information here will come in handy again because I am about to undertake a little writing project that will require some of this information for a second time. So I've printed out the responses here and added it to my research folder. (I'm also following the other thread about the growing too, so indeed, please keep adding to it. I love learning all about these kinds of things).

[Junior]

Originally Posted by RGD

Nasty, work - but the barns in the fall are filled with glorious aroma's!


Ron

Ron I think you forgot [SIZE="5"]HOT[/SIZE] especially if you are working top tier in the barn. Nasty for sure no glove I ever wore could keep my left hand from turning black when cutting, but nothing smells like a tobacco barn.

Last year I saw the oddest things, instead of hanging it in a barn one of the locals hung it out on what looked like clothes line then covered it in black plastic. The odd part is it was next to an empty tobacco barn. Never have figured that one out.