Ready – Set – Sow!

It's almost Spring, and that means it's time to start seeds to set out in your tobacco garden. Tobacco is easy to grow, but the seeds can be a little tricky to get started. So, here are a few tips to get you growing this year.

First, you should know the age of the seed. If you are saving your own seed from previous crops, they should be dated with the date you harvested them. Store your seeds in the refrigerator to extend their life. Kept cool and dry, tobacco seed will remain viable for many years.

Tobacco seeds are tiny. Each one is about the size of a pin head and because they are so small, they can be difficult to handle. The seeds are not planted - they are sown. That means they are simply dropped on the surface of the soil - and given the right conditions, they germinate within three to five days.  Generally, germination rate indicates age of the seed. Fresh seed, a year or two old, will have a high germination rate: nearly all will germinate within three to five days. The older the seed, the lower the germination rate, and the longer it will take for them to germinate (as much as 10 to 15 days).


It's best to use light 'seed sprouting' soil in small 2 or 3 inch pots. Each pot can sprout numerous seeds, which can be thinned down to just a few select seedlings at transplant time. Make sure the potting soil is soaked, evenly moist, and well drained. Use a small card (like a business card) folded lengthwise, sprinkle just a few seeds on the card, then tap the edge of the card to bounce the seeds evenly across the surface of the soil. Its too easy to over-sow these tiny seed, so be careful.

Once you sow the seed, keep the small sprouting pots in an optimal environment to promote germination. Keep them warm, moist, and well lit. Most tobacco gardeners start their seed in an enclosed sprouting tray with a transparent lid (humidity dome). This holds moisture and warmth in while letting light shine on the surface of the soil. Tobacco seed needs some light to germinate (a small twist florescent bulb works well). Maintain the optimal sprouting environment undisturbed for at least three days, then check them for germination.


In three to five days, the first tobacco seeds will sprout. They will be extremely small at first. Keep them sheltered in their sprouting tray for about a week until they start to get established. Vent the tray a little each day, but be sure to keep the soil moist and well drained. The lid can be removed by the second or third week. The seedlings should be ready to transplant within another week or two after uncovering them. So, sow tobacco seed about 4 to 6 weeks before you plan to set them out in the garden.


Of course, you can find complete detailed instructions (and more pictures!) on every stage of growing natural tobacco in the home garden in my book, The Heirloom Tobacco Garden. It's a great investment toward producing bountiful crops of natural tobacco grown in your own home garden. You can purchase the book from the publisher (Xlibris), or at Amazon.

 

Home Tobacco Gardens:

Here are some of the pictures I received this year. These are from Steven V. and are Mopan Mayan plants. They are really quite spectacular! This was the first time growing heirloom tobacco for this particular grower, but I suspect it is not beginner's luck. He has obviously taken good care of his plants, and tended his garden well. The result is clearly a bountiful crop.





 

Heirloom Tobacco Autumn Review

Tobacco leaves that are dried without curing will be undesirable. Three things are needed to cure tobacco: containment, moisture, and heat.

Curing methods employed in different parts of the world are many and varied, but all involve some sort of containment for a period of time. Freshly dried tobacco leaves are traditionally simply piled up in a heap and usually covered snugly with something like canvas or hides. Traditional methods also include leaves that are tied in bundles and hung in the rafters of a barn, twisted or pressed in a plug, wrapped in corn husks or other large leaves, stuffed tightly in a hollow log, or pressed into a gourd.

Tobacco curing is really fermentation. Containment provides an environment conducive to the natural process of leaf fermentation. Ripe tobacco leaves once contained begin an amazing alchemical process of complex biosynthesis converting residual compounds to produce a natural refinement of different qualities including exceptional flavor and aroma.

Tobacco needs some leaf moisture to cure properly. 15 to 25% leaf moisture is about right to cure tobacco naturally. As tobacco cures, it is sort of stews in its own natural juices. Water can be sprayed or misted on dry leaf to add moisture, but this adds nothing to the natural compounds in the leaf. In fact, every time tobacco leaf dries out, it loses some degree of its original chemistry. Volatile oils evaporate. Nicotine content degrades. Natural leaf sugars break down. Natural tobacco flavor and aroma are lost.  For this reason, freshly harvested tobacco leaf is shade dried slowly to closely monitor when it is dried just right – when natural leaf moisture content is just enough to cure properly.  

Probably the most important ‘juice’ is a leaf compound called ‘sucrose ester’. This is a natural part of leaf moisture content. This natural leaf sugar is necessary for fermentation. Sugar is the fuel source to cure tobacco naturally. Most heirloom tobaccos and old world classic varieties contain more than enough natural sucrose ester to cure naturally. If leaves dry too much before curing, or if there is reason to suspect the variety may contain low natural leaf sugar, it will help to add a light misting of honey water. Make honey water by mixing one teaspoon of honey in two cups of warm water.

It is preferable to cure natural tobacco in a ‘neutral’ container which will contribute little or nothing to the natural distinctive flavor and aroma.  The Jar method is simple, and well suited to small crops of home grown tobacco. Larger crops from the home garden will do better with the Bag method using large zip-lock bags.

Glass jars are ideal for curing natural tobacco from the home garden. Large wide mouth apothecary type glass jars (½ to 1 gallon) work best. The closed glass jars can be visually inspected anytime during curing without opening them. Large zipper locked plastic bags are a reasonable substitute. Jars can be washed and reused, but bags cannot be cleaned well enough for reuse.

Pack stacks of properly dried tobacco leaves into the jars snugly. The jars should not be packed so tightly that any single leaf could not be easily pulled out by its stem. The leaves need a little space to breathe and transpire inside the closed jar as fermentation perks along.  Insert leaf stacks in jars with stems pointing up, to allow condensation to form near the top/opening of the jar, and to make it easier to move and check them during curing for mold or fungus which usually develops first on the leaf stems.

Leaf fermentation begins when lids are closed on jars placed in a warm dark place. The best temperature is 75 - 85F. The jars should be easily accessible to check regularly. In warm climates a shelf in the garage or carport will do fine. Inside kitchen cabinets work well. The closed cabinets keep things in the dark, and temperature tends to stay just a little warmer than room temperature. These are ideal conditions to cure tobacco naturally.

Tobacco leaf fermentation becomes accelerated by increased heat over 85F. Various methods add heat to artificially speed up the process.  Tobacco kilns are popular for the fast cure, and are most comparable to air cured barn dried tobacco. The kiln method heats curing tobacco to just over 110F (or even higher) for rapid fermentation. Flue cured tobacco similarly vents heated air through the tobacco to accelerate curing. Stove cured tobacco actually cooks leaves in a soup of additives and bakes the leaves dry for smoking. These high heat methods are fast, but destroy volatile oils and other natural leaf compounds which produce the distinctive flavor and aroma of naturally cured tobacco. Some scientific research also suggests curing tobacco with high heat converts chemicals in the leaves into compounds with a higher degree of carcinogenic effect.  

During the first week of fermentation there will be condensation inside the jars. If there is no condensation, make sure the jars are warm enough (75 to 85F). The leaf stacks in the jars have stems holding on to some moisture. Some of this moisture is absorbed by other leaves in the jar, equalizing moisture content throughout all the leaves in the jar. When excess moisture condenses inside the jar it needs to evaporate more quickly than the leaves can absorb. Check jars every day. When condensation appears, remove the lid and allow the condensation to evaporate. Replace the lid when condensation completely evaporates. The goal is to equalize the moisture content evenly throughout all the leaves in the jar.

The jars should be condensation free within the second week. At this point, the leaves in the jars have equalized moisture throughout all the leaves. Fermentation proceeds by leaving the jars closed and undisturbed in a warm dark place for one month. During this difficult wait, the only task is to keep the temperature within ideal range and check the jars regularly for evidence of mold or fungus.

Often airborne mold spores get into curing tobacco. Mold and fungus spoil tobacco quickly. If mold or fungus appears, open the jar and remove the molded leaves, and allow it to vent for about an hour before replacing the lid. Keep a close check on that jar for reappearance of mold and remove it as soon as possible. Take preventative steps: inspect visually, keep jars closed, and wash hands well before opening the jars to vent condensation. An ounce of prevention may save a pound of tobacco!

During this time, leaf colors begin to change, and good stuff is going on inside those jars. This is a critical time in the leaf fermentation process. Opening the jars prematurely will likely interrupt the biochemical transformations going on inside – or worse yet, mold may invade. Better to just leave it alone. Curing tobacco is a natural process, and it takes some time. Resist the urge to open the jars before one month.

After one month, open the jars to check on the progress. Curing is complete when a distinctive tobacco aroma is noticeable. The odor may have a somewhat earthy scent, but there should be a distinct tobacco aroma to the leaf, not grassy or sour. Off aromas are probably just evidence of incomplete fermentation, but it may also indicate undetected mold. Check visibly by moving the leaves around a little using the stems. (Remember, wash hands before touching tobacco while it cures.) Stalled leaf fermentation is usually due to temperatures falling too low. I have found that an additional two weeks with optimal temperature will allow tobacco to finish curing.  

After the tobacco leaf is cured, it is ready to process for storage and aging. Remove the main leaf stems before storage. Removal of this main leaf vein is called ‘stripping’. Go through the stacks or bundles of cured leaves and strip out the main leaf stem from each leaf. Flatten each leaf and fold lengthwise so that the underside of the leaf is folded inside and main leaf vein forms the top ridge of the fold. Pinch the main leaf vein near the tip of the leaf, holding the leaf with fingers of the other hand, and pull the leaf vein down toward the base of the leaf. This strips the vein out of the leaf and prepares it for storage.

Add a touch of honey after tobacco is cured naturally. Honey is a natural antibacterial antimicrobial that inhibits mold and fungus development during tobacco storage. Mix one teaspoon of honey with one cup of pure water, then use a spray bottle to mist tobacco lightly. Allow the leaves to set overnight to equalize the honey water. Make sure to let the leaves dry out enough for storage (mostly dry, but not so dry as to crack or crumble).

Cured stripped tobacco should be sealed in containers for aging. Tobacco tins or glass jars work well for storing tobacco. Natural tobacco aged for a couple of months may be good, but after a year or two it will be great!

Even after tobacco is cured, it needs time to mellow. Like fine wine needs time in the bottle to age into something wonderful, natural tobacco needs time to age before it is in its prime. If you are really motivated, you can pull out a choice leaf and sample it. Be realistic, it will be somewhat harsh, but you can get a reasonable preview of what the crop has to offer. So, exercise some restraint and wait for a month or two in storage. The wait will be well rewarded.

Check back to the HT Garden Page for the next update on storage, aging and processing tobacco from the home garden.