If you are a closet smoker, or you just like to have unusual looking plants growing in your garden, you may want to try growing tobacco. Tobacco grows easily and has big pretty leaves that look nice in your garden or in a very large container as a focal-point house plant.
Seeds to Grow Tobacco:
You can buy tobacco seeds or tobacco plant starts from many qualified garden shops. To view samples of varieties and prices click on these names of tobacco seed providers: Victory Seed Co. and, New Hope Seed Co. There are other providers online that you can find by searching for ‘buy tobacco seeds’ in your search bar.
Starting Your Tobacco Seeds:
Tobacco seeds are very tiny; you can not start very tiny seeds outside because the wind blows them away. In small containers full of potting soil with a little peat moss mixed into it. Sprinkle a few seeds on top of each container, sprinkle gently with water, and put a baggie or other clear cover over the top to keep seeds warm. Seeds should sprout during their second week. Keep soil moist.
Transplanting Outside:
Tobacco plants like a rich soil and lots of sun, and do not do well in clay soils; nor do they do well in cold climates. If you have a soil problem, or live in an area that experiences unexpected cold spells, transplant your tobacco plants into very large pots full of potting soil. They grow well in pots that are about 24 inches across the top. Then, if a cold spell happens, you just walk your tobacco pots into the house.
To transplant into a garden, space plants about 24″ apart or as directed on the back of your seed package. Tobacco likes fertilizer, and a little mulch made from your fireplace or bar-b-que ashes.
Saving Tobacco Seeds:
After your plants have flowered, and before the seeds are fully formed, you will want to put something over the fine seeds to catch them as they fall off of the flower area of the plant. A piece of ladies nylon hose would work well to let in the sun and still catch the tiny seeds that you want for next years crop.
Harvesting the Tobacco:
You can take leaves off of your plant at any time to dry and smoke, or to blend with water to use as an insect repellant on other plants in your garden. When the tobacco plant reaches full maturity it will start to die and turn golden or brown in color. To harvest the full plant, cut the center stalk at the base and hang the plant upside down to dry for a couple of weeks.
To Prolong Houseplant Life:
You tobacco houseplant will live longer if you never allow it to flower. When flowers start to form, clip that area back with a pair of very sharp scissors or a sharp knife. This plant will grow in the shade, but likes to thrive in a bright sunny corner, or under a grow light.
Tobacco Plant Size:
Tobacco plants grow tall on short roots. Different varieties will grow to different heights depending upon care and soil conditions. Most tobacco plants grow between two and six feet in height.
Suggestions:
With laws governing tobacco changing all of the time, you may want to ask your local authorities if you are legal to grow tobacco before starting.
I am under the assumption (perhaps falsely) that most places do not mind if you grow tobacco. A short time back I went to a Utah County Fair that had very pretty tobacco plants growing on display. Utah has very strong laws about smoking, but they seemed to be fine about showing people how pretty the plants would look in their gardens.
