Tobacco Growing In KY(pic-1)

This is Tobacco growing it is ready to cut and put in barn to cure..

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Until just a few years ago, it was raised in beds. These beds were sown in April and the plants ready to pull in late May-1st of June. The beds were burned to kill the weeds(seeds) until bromide gas came along. When the beds were gassed, you'd work up a seed bed and set the gas (came in an aerosol can) in the holders..(4 cans to each holder frame) every so many feet and then covered the bed with clear plastic..6 mil. The gas was released by pressing down on the cans which a nail in the holder punctured. The edges of the plastic were covered with dirt to keep the gas in. You'd leave everything alone for a few days so the gas would sterilize the bed and then yank the plastic off. Then, the beds were sown. Tobacco seed is real tiny stuff.....looks about like #12 shot. There must a hundred varieties....your county agent could recommend what was best suited for your area. After the goons with the EPA and Hug a Tree Foundation in Cooperation with Owl Lovers of America (hehehe) banned the use of bromide, folks went to using float beds to start the plants. The float beds are actually better and makes nice healthy plants. These float beds are like mini green houses made of plastic tarps over hoops. The whole crop is generally set in a day...two at most, unless you are raising many acres..then you have mulitple setters going at once. There is probably enough seed in a seed package to sow an acre...and it aint cheap! Unless you just want to play with a small plot....rasing tobacco isnt anything but brute work from start to finish. Dampness spreads most diseases...blue mold, black shank, etc. tobacco can stand lots of dry weather..but too much rain will drown it.