Starting instructions:

 Sow seeds indoors in flats, trays or small pots 8 weeks before your last frost date for transplanting outdoors. A plastic tray with 4 or 6 pack inserts works very well. Fill the inserts with a fine starting mix soil or potting soil. Pack the soil very lightly. Potting soil should be screened to 1/4" to remove any large chunks. Thoroughly soak the soil and let drain before seeding. Do not use garden soil. Use a good quality starting or screened potting mix.

 
 Sprinkle 2-3 seeds in each pot on top of the moistened soil. Do NOT cover the seed with soil. Mist the seeds with a spray bottle and cover the tray with a plastic dome or sheet of light weight clear plastic film. Do not seal tightly. Leave a corner propped up slightly to allow for some air exchange. Place in a well lit area near a window or under grow lights where the temperature is a constant 70-80 degrees. Do not exceed 85 degrees. Mist the trays daily and keep the soil surface moist at all times during the sprouting period. The seeds will germinate in 7-14 days. Tobacco seed germination is very temperature dependant. Lower temperatures will greatly delay germination. 

 
When the seeds finish sprouting and start to show their first leaves, stop misting the seedlings, remove the plastic cover and move the trays to a fully lit  area such as a greenhouse, cold frame or under grow lights. Florescent shop lights work well. Place the lights 3-4 inches above the seedlings. Keep the lights close so the seedlings don't stretch for it and become leggy. Keep the soil moist, but do not over water. Over watering is the main reason for seedlings failing to grow properly and may cause the seedlings to dampen off. It also impedes the roots downward growth. Water when the surface of the soil first begins to appear dry on top. It is best to water from the bottom up by soaking the tray of seedlings in a second tray without drain holes filled 1 inch deep with water. Allow the seedling tray to soak for about 1/2 hour or until the water has wicked up and the soils surface appears wet again. Remove the seedling tray from the watering tray and let it drain. Do not let the seedlings stand in water for a prolonged period. This will kill the developing roots.

 
 Tobacco seedlings grow very slowly in the first 1-2 weeks. This is normal. Thin seedlings to 1 per pot when they have developed 4 to 6 leaves. Tobacco seedlings can also be easily divided and repotted at about 4 weeks. Carefully remove the plants from the pot and gently wash away the starting soil in a small bowl of water by swishing the roots back and forth. Separate the bare root seedlings and repot them back into new pots in the starting soil mix. Water them in thoroughly and place them out of intense direct sunlight for 2-3 days.   

Planting instructions:

 Set the seedlings outside in filtered or dappled sunlight for 3-4 hours per day for a week before planting out. This will help them acclimate and harden off the seedlings to an outdoor environment especially if you have been using indoor artificial light. Plant the seedlings in rows spaced 2 feet in all directions after the danger of frost has passed. Water them in after planting and keep the soil moist until plants are established. It is normal for plants to wilt after transplanting and they may appear not to grow much during the first 1-2 weeks. All the growth is taking place under ground at this stage. Once established, tobacco requires little water. Fertilize lightly at planting and again in 4-6 weeks if needed.

 About one month after planting, tobacco plants start to go through a very rapid growth stage and will often grow 2 to 3 inches per day. Flower buds will start to form at the tops during the end of the second month. Cut the flower heads off when the 50% or more of the plants have began to flower. This is the point when the plants are considered to be mature. Topping helps force more energy into the leaves making them larger and thicker. Cut off any suckers (side branches) when topping if they are present. Suckering is best done when they are 2 inches long or more. This helps slow any re-growth. Leaves generally ripen about 3 weeks after topping and are ready to harvest when they turn yellow, or become a mottled green and yellow with curled edges.  

Harvesting and curing:

 Don't rush to harvest. If you are unsure if the leaf is ripe yet, then it probably is not. Picking them too green makes curing more difficult. Leaves may be picked from the plant a few at a time as they ripen (primed) and strung on wire or string with ½ inch of space between them for curing. In dry climates place them closer together. Curing (aka color curing) happens when chlorophyll in the leaf breaks down and the leaf changes from green to yellow or brown. Bright Leaf strains are best primed to cure. Other strains can be primed or cut and hung whole. Hang primed strings of leaf in an area where you can maintain a daily average of 70%-80% humidity to cure. If the humidity is to low, the leaf will not cure and will dry green. Tobacco that fails to cure and dries green is usually unsmokable. Color curing is done when the green is gone. Green leaf will not mold, but once cured the leaf becomes susceptible to mold growth. At this stage, lower the humidity or move them to a dryer location with good air flow to dry. Whole plants can be cut and hung when 50% or more of the leaves have ripened. The plants should be hung where the average humidity is 60% or less and left to cure and dry. Basements or out door sheds often make good curing and drying locations.  

Drying and ageing.

 After curing, dry the leaf until it is completely dry and the main stem snaps like a dry twig. It is very important to remove all the water from the main stem before packing for storage. Any moisture left in the stem or leaf may cause mold to grow during storage. Once cured and dried, the leaf can be left to hang and age where it is. Or it can be brought back into case (re-humidified until the leaf is pliable) and then packed into cardboard boxes or totes for storage and to age. Ageing allows time for nitrogen compounds in the leaf to break down which removes the harshness of freshly dried tobacco and lets the true flavors come through. Tobacco requires 3 to 6 months aging time for most strains to be at their best. Some strains need even longer. The natural aging process can be speeded up greatly by building a kiln where the temperature can be held at approximately 125 degrees and 70% humidity. Kilning tobacco (sometimes called fermenting) will speed up the natural aging process and the tobacco is smokeable in about 4 weeks. Plans for building small tobacco kilns are available on line.

For more information on growing and harvesting, curing and drying, or building a kiln, visit our friends at

  http://fairtradetobacco.com