The Guide of Growing Tobacco from Seed – Tobacco Seeds

Growing Tobacco from tobacco seeds is a satisfying, albeit challenging, experience for any gardener and allows a deeper understanding of a plant with a history as rich as its flavor. Whether you’re a do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiast, a smallholder tobacco producer, or even just a greenhorn in gardening looking to try something different, growing Tobacco is an interesting venture. And this guide will take you through everything you need to know, from legality to the last harvest.

Is It Legal to Grow Tobacco?

One of the early questions folks have is whether or not it is legal to grow Tobacco. In the US, you can legally grow, harvest, and cure your own Tobacco for personal use. Think of it as growing tomatoes or any other vegetable in your yard.

But if you plan to sell your Tobacco, things are more complex. To produce it commercially, a license and permits from the USDA are necessary. Selling the leaves you harvested at a local farmers’ market or store would require you to navigate local, state, and federal regulations and taxes. You’re safest eating your harvest personally rather than becoming a licensed and tax-paying professional.

Choosing Your Tobacco Type

There are countless tobacco varieties, and each has its own individual characteristics and applications. What final product do you expect will determine the type of seeds you use for Tobacco? Here are some of the key categories:

Bright Leaf (Virginia): One of the most popular types of Tobacco, often used in cigarettes. Types like Yellow Orinoco and Delhi 34 are famous for air-curing to light gold or flue-curing to lemon-yellow. You can eat them raw, though they taste less sharp than raw yellow onions.

Burley: Burley tobacco, low in sugar, is usually air-dried. It has a reputation for its ability to absorb flavorings, and is a common ingredient in cigarette blends as well as some chewing tobaccos.

Dark / Fire-Cured: These types of tobaccos have a rich, bold flavor. Their drying can be done with cold air or in the smoke, and the smoke treatment adds a smokiness to the flavor. They are a common type of pipe tobacco, cigars, and chewing Tobacco.

Asian (Turkish): They are sun-cured and fragrant tobaccos made up of small leaves. Their unique taste makes them extremely valuable and is added to several cigarette blends.

Cigar Tobacco: Refers to a few varieties that are used to make the fillers, binders, and wrappers of cigars.

You can find all kinds of heirloom and open-pollinated tobacco seeds online, so you can experiment to find what you like best.

Germinating Tobacco Seeds – Step-by-Step Growing Tobacco From Seeds

Getting Tobacco from seed to smoke is the hardest part of the process. Tobacco seeds are minuscule and won’t germinate under just any conditions.

How to Plant Tobacco Seeds

Timing: Begin tobacco seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your area’s last frost. This will help the seedlings get a jump on life before you move them outdoors.

Soil: Sow in a fine-textured seed-starting mix. The more important thing is that the soil doesn’t have large clods or pieces of mulch that would be very challenging for the infants to push through.

Planting: Thinly spread the seed in the moist topsoil. Do not bury the seeds in dirt. They are also light sensitive, requiring light to germinate tobacco seeds.

Soil: Keep the soil evenly damp, but not soggy. Put the seed tray in a small pan of water to water the seeds from the bottom. This keeps the fragile seedlings from being pulled up. A clear plastic dome over the tray, or a zip-top bag over the mantle, can help to retain humidity.

Temperature: Tobacco seeds require heat to sprout. Optimum temperature is 75 – 80 °F.

Light: Seedlings require bright light as soon as you see germination. A grow light nearby or a sunny windowsill will do. This is important so that they do not become tall and `leggy.

Germination should occur between 7- 14 days. Be patient, as the seedlings will linger in the two-leaf stage for a week or two before they begin to produce additional leaves.

Step 2: Growing and Maintenance

Once your seedlings start to have a few pairs of leaves and are sturdy enough to handle, it’s time to transplant them to a final growing spot.

Transplant: Plant seedlings outside after the last frost. Space the plants 3 feet apart to allow for growth. If you have more than one variety you’re growing, separate them as much as is practical for your garden needs (a mile is ideal, as the specialists do; for those of us at home, spread them out as far as you can).

Soil and Fertilizer: Tobacco requires rich soil with plenty of nutrients, similar to tomatoes. It is hardy in fertile, well-drained soil. Compost or a balanced organic fertilizer can also improve the soil. A light fertilizer application 4-6 weeks after transplanting can give them a jump start.

Watering: Once they are well established, tobacco plants are surprisingly drought-resistant. Water when the soil is dry, but don’t overwater — they dislike “wet feet.”

Protection from pests: Be cautious of pests that also inhabit gardens. Protecting your young plants is the key to a healthy harvest.

Coming Up: Harvesting, Curing, and Aging

The last steps are collecting the leaves and preparing them for use.

Harvest: Leaves can be harvested when they begin to turn a pale, golden yellow. This is what happens when the bottom of the plant starts to brown and can take over the whole plant. You can pluck leaves as they ripen from the stalk (a technique called “priming”), or slice the entire stalk.

Curing: Curing is the stage of drying of the leaves. The technique differs according to the Tobacco. Air-curing: The leaves are hung in a well-ventilated barn or shed and allowed to dry. Flue-curing is the rapid method of drying leaves using heat, while sun-curing is performed on Oriental tobaccos.

Aging: The Tobacco must be aged after it has been cured. As a result, nitrogen compounds in the leaves can break down, eliminating the harshness and enabling the Tobacco’s authentic taste and aroma to surface.

Your Path to Homegrown Tobacco

Growing Tobacco from seed is a labor-intensive process that demands considerable attention and patience. However, it represents the continuation of a time-honored tradition passed down from generations of the best tobacco growers. By the time you pick and cure your leaves, having cared meticulously for your own (tiny) seeds, you will literally have a new appreciation for this historic plant. These easy actions will help you develop your own personalized Tobacco right in your backyard.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most frequent issues with growing Tobacco from seed?

Germination failure and seedlings that arrest at the two-leaf stage are the most common problems. This is nearly always because the lighting, humidity/or soil conditions are wrong. Just be sure your tobacco seeds aren’t actually buried in soil, receive adequate light as soon as they germinate, and grow in a light, evenly moist potting mix.

Where to Get Tobacco Seeds?

You can purchase Tobacco seeds online from websites such as heirloom and garden sites. Many sell specific types, such as tobacco seeds for cigarettes and tobacco seeds for chew.

What time of year should you plant tobacco seeds?

Preparation Tobacco likes warmth, so you should sow your seeds inside four to six weeks before your last frost date. This allows them to grow into sturdy seedlings before being transplanted outdoors.

Can I grow Tobacco in any state?

Yes, Tobacco can be grown in some form in practically every state in the US. If it is possible to grow vegetables with plants such as tomatoes, it is possible to grow Tobacco.

How to avoid crossing different tobacco varieties?

Although tobacco plants are self-pollinating, your varieties should be separated by some distance if you desire that type to remain pure. They should be about a mile apart. For a home garden, planting them at least 3 feet apart on opposite ends can help reduce cross-pollination.