Growing Tobacco

Growing Tobacco is an important part of the American history on the homestead, farm, and even the small townhouse from the colonial period to beginning of the 20th century. It is still grown in large part in states like Virginia and Ohio for cigarettes and places like Connecticut and Wisconsin for cigars. It has been a great trade item, with Benjamin Franklin negotiating tobacco trade with the French for arms to help win the American Revolution. It is completely legal to do within the confines of a homeowner and still quite possible on a farm like scale.




Nicotiana tabacum is the most commonly used species of nicotiana to grow commercial tobacco for cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, as well as chews and snuffs. N. rustica is much more potent but has recently caught some attention within the modern entheogen community. The seeds are extremely small, often the size of a grain of sand. The species, N. tabacum comes in a large amount of different varieties that are grown for the different particular products to later produce. Certain types favor cigar preparation but are horrid for pipe tobacco and so on.

To grow tobacco plants is a task that requires a bit of work and patience. However they are quite rewarding in a number of ways. To start, tobacco plants should be planted indoors in late March or early April. The seeds are sown on top of the soil. As the seedlings mature and get to a decent size (1 inch or so) the grower will need to cut surrounding weaklings that are too close to grow to other tobacco plants. Once the last chance of frost has past the plants can begin being acclimated to the outdoor weather. To do this one must place them in small peat pots or small containers outside. This can be done by placing them for several hours outdoors, for a few hours as the sun is going down and returning them at night. It can also be the same way just in the morning until the strongest point of the sun comes up and returning them indoors. In both situations the tobacco seedlings must be watched and placed in a partial sunlight position. They must also be lightly watered during this time in an easy draining container. Misting is not recommended as the seedlings are very fragile and the condition of the leaves is crucial on these small plants. Some advise the seedlings should be acclimated outdoors at nightfall but I have not had any luck with this at all and risk them being stunned at low temperatures.




After a couple of weeks of doing this the seedlings will be above a couple of inches in size and will be ready to be placed in the soil. Tobacco can be grown in containers but I do not recommend it as they will be dramatically smaller in size. Placing them in the ground should be done in the late afternoon or evening and they should be watered immediately after being placed in the ground. Take account for where they are planted as tobacco will deplete the nutrients in the soil considerably. Spacing is a personal choice as many sources have different preferences based on the particular variety as some will be bushier while others will grow taller and more slim. Generally a foot and a half is the minimum. It is advised to pay attention to the plants the following day as they will need some watering during the suns hottest hours and will experience minor wilting for a couple of days afterward.




Now that the tobacco plants are established and in the ground they are ready to prosper. Arguably the hardest part of taking care of the tobacco plants is over. Now it is time to watch for diseases and pests as well as take care of the condition of the leaves and engaging 'suckers.' Aphids seem to be the most common problem seen as small black dots all over the leaves. Consult the correct pest killer or produce a mild detergent mix to spray on them. Diseases may occur specific to tobacco or to similar plants in the nightshade family. I have had no experience with diseases but have heard much fuss about growers problems with them. The seemingly most demanding aspect of growing tobacco involves the removal of suckers. If one is growing tobacco for display, the flowers, or the seeds this is nothing to worry about. However, if one is growing for quality tobacco leaves then removal of suckers is almost crucial. If growing for cured tobacco, the top of the plant must be removed when buds appear before the flowers form. Next offshoots will appear throughout the plant, removing these before they reach an inch will allow for far better quality as well as larger leaves. If this is done with a bi weekly use of diluted fertilizer similar to that used for tomatoes or potatoes the grower should see a great yield by the end of the season.



The process of removing the leaves, curing the tobacco, and preparing it for the end product is the topic of another post which will appear later in this blog. If anything is unclear please leave a comment or contact me on the forums I am active on. I do not have any tobacco seed yet to grow for the coming season so I am unable to trade at this point but should have some ready for sale on my online store in a month or so.

Some Additions to the Old Fashioned Entheo-Horticulturalist

Something had me thinking the other day about why I write this blog and what I love to do... I also reflected on how it is now beginning to become winter and what I could write of the few plants I have around, cacti and succulents, certainly not meant to be the topic of this blog, nevertheless included.

I thought it would be highly worthwhile for myself and reader to also include the lifestyle of the Old Fashioned Entheo-Horticulturalist; other activities and facets of their life. Therefore I have decided to branch this blog out toward an array of related avenues. In the following weeks I will begin to include writing on wild crafting, gardening and farming techniques, the history of agriculture (in various ways and periods), self-sustainability, and eventually other things as closely related as wilderness survival, building simple wooden items, nature reflection in regards to philosophers like Emerson and Thureau, politics effecting the natural world and tying them in our lives as growers, gardeners, and outdoors folk.

The blog will continue to be a bastion for personal experience with plants, cultivation, and their wonderful gifts. Although I have included material not directly related to North America and Great Lakes culture, I will eventually move that direction as I gain more experience and research. Until then I will continue to be a bit more open and broad regarding my posts, but have that theme in the back of my mind.

Soon I will introduce my webshop as well. This online trading post will be an excellent source for aspiring gardeners or seasoned growers to acquire organic well documented seeds of a variety of types, but almost all focusing on North America and the Great Lakes environemnent. This will include medicinal plants, entheogens, beauty plants, and all of the odd balls in between. Prices will be incredibly fair and selection will grow as seeds are gathered, documented, and made ready. In addition the store will also offer special varieties of seeds that can be included for free in orders with the hope of helping to promote research of a particular lesser documented specimen. Finally, I recognize that there is a demand for some dried herbs, live plants, and such and I will begin working on making these available as well. All seeds will come from one of my three organic gardens or have been wildcrafted with consideration for the environment. A small portion will be of gifts from trusted and responsible members of the horticulture community and will be noted as such. The blog will maintain its roots and only link to and notify of new arrivels in the webshop, otherwise posts will continue in the fashion they have began.

I hope this serves as an excellent transition into what this blog is becoming. I look forward to more feedback and hopefully some new readers and new friends. If you have any questions please leave a comment and how I can reach you. I am working on establishing an email address for this blog soon that can be used to contact for private questions, concerns, or potentail trades which I always invite.

Lettuce - Easy to Grow and Worth so Much More

High in folic acid and vitamin C lettuce or Lactuca sativa is a well known addition to many conventional meals. It seems to be falling out of favor and that is a shame considering its health benefits, how easy it is to grow, and how expensive it is store bought.



Lettuce can come in many different cultivars as seen in the photo above. Seeds are relatively cheap and come with generous portions of the particular lettuce one is aiming to grow. I have always had luck throwing a handful of seeds in to a small tray with a humidity lid on it. The soil I use for this particular plant is just regular potting soil. The seeds germinate almost within a day or two. Following the specific instructions on the seed packet will usually warrant success.

Even though lettuce is a relatively easy plant to cultivate I have run into some problems and it will need some work and attention. The main issue will be lettuces disliking of high heat and light. Lettuce prefers a bit more shaded location than direct light and really suffers in intense heat. Although this makes it seem like a good idea to water more than usual, it is best to stick with suggested watering techniques. To help the problem before it starts study how the sun hits specific sections of your garden or landscape and note those that have a nice protected area during the time the sun is its strongest in early to mid afternoon.

Another maintenance issue rather than a problem is to harvest the lettuce and continually cut back. Lettuce is stimulated in its growth when cut back, after all this is how the gardener gets their harvest! It is old wisdom to cut the outside leaves first, they are usually the ones that get larger first and to cut low to the ground with a clean quick cut. A dirty cutting utensil or a relaxed pull can cause disease or unnecessary stress to the plant.


Have you realized how expensive lettuce is in supermarkets? The average price per bag of ready to go salad lettuce is about $4-6. This is not factoring the cost of organic lettuces. For someone who eats lettuce regularly in their diet or has a family to feed this can be quite expensive and last only for a short period of time. That is why growing lettuce, even if just for the summer months can save so much money. Besides nothing beats the taste of fresh picked lettuce, washed and placed into a bowl with ones favorite veggies, mushrooms, and dressing. Go out and pick a variety of lettuce seed up. Set out a plot and fill some pots. They take up so little room and offer such a great reward.

Wonderful Christmas Gift: Heirloom Variety Seed

I was just first exposed to the wondrous possibilities of heirloom variety vegetables, herbs, and flowers only several months ago. Sure, I had heard of them but had never the opportunity to pick them up. I have actually been able to collect a small handful for my online shop which will be up and running in January and feature such heirlooms as scarlet runner beans, calabash gourd, Amish paw-paw, Kazakh lettuce greens , and so on. These will be available in small numbers only just as I collected them.

Growing heirloom varieties offer the gardener or horticulturist the opportunity to grow a plant that seems to be something straight out of history. Many of the varieties of tomato, pepper, and pumpkin available from the Amish or local greenhouse has not seen the shelves of a market or superstore in generations. This is due to the American shift in agriculture towards selects strains and varieties of fruits and vegetables only. This is due to these certain abilities to hold well being picked mechanically, holding well to particular temperature, surviving shipment, and so on. But certainly, because certain varieties were chosen over others for these abilities does not mean that they are better for one, health wise and anyone who has had experience with heirloom varieties knows where the taste is at! The other wonder from growing these seeds is collecting them after the harvest, showing off your wonderfully exotic and unknown plants to the world. Do not forget that heirlooms exist of cuttings from fruit trees and berry bushes. Imagine growing a cutting from an old farmhouse of the American Civil War, untouched for generations.

Although heirloom varieties may be a bit more expensive and take a little hunting to find, their purchase is far more of a better investment for us small scale farmers, horticulturalists, and gardeners. There are all sorts of heirloom varieties for all sorts of zones, color combinations, and needs for space restrictions.

Getting the Most out of Morning Glory Growth

From my experience, morning glories have been a plant that is just as frustrating and disappointing as much as they are wonderful and rewarding. The particular morning glories I am speaking of are strictly those of the Ipomoea genus as those are the only ones that I have growing experience with. When writing about getting the most out of these I am referring to their growing potential, for them to become larger plants, take up greater space, produce a greater number of flowers, and let a generous amount of seed.

To grow from seed or buy plants?

This is something that I have experimented with several times at several different growing zones in order to find my particular liking and to be honest I was not sure for a bit, but favor growing from seed to buying plants. My first year growing these I purchased 4-5 fully developed Ipomoea purpurea and Ipomoea tricolor. The former tended to grow more aggressively but outwards, while the latter grew at a slower, but more steady rate and far more upwards and then out. This growth is all in relation to a fence.




These photos are of plants purchased from a local greenhouse for about $8. This is the size they increased to after being in the soil for roughly 3 weeks.

One of the major rules of morning glories is that they do NOT transplant well at all. This is what I realized after this plant was transplanted to the fence more than two months ago and remained at that health and level of growth to the end of the summer.



Sadly this is what most of my purchases looked like. Perhaps I thought it may have been the supplier although this one has been extremely reliable for many other plants. Another greenhouse, of which I bought eight 'Grandpa Ott variety the following season also proved the same as five of the eight died before the start of June while the other three did not start developing until the end of August and early September.

This leads me to the other method of growing, from seed. The best manner in which to do that is to allow the plants from the previous season to reseed themselves as can be seen on these wonderful morning glories.



When growing morning glory from seed is it better to toss seed in the ground and watch them hoping for the best or is it more beneficial to start them off in seed trays and then place them in the ground?

As stated earlier transplanting seems to almost always kill morning glories, especially seedlings. Sowing seed to ground directly is the horticulturalist best bet to have a handful of good size plants. Perhaps one can scratch the seeds with a file and soak them in water overnight. This would allow the germination to speed up.

Here is a small collection of morning glories around a mailbox. Only 6-8 seeds were set in the ground, after the weeds were all removed within the area of the mailbox. If I were able to get to this location more often the weeds would not have taken over. Regardless they still began to take off as seen in the photo.



Once established successfully, there is much lore and often less interest in how to maintain the health of morning glory vines. Often times these are seen as invasive or weed-like so homeowners will fail to water them or fertilize them. As a result of placing mine in rocky locations where little to nothing else grows it was easier to not have to worry about weeds. However because morning glories are grown in full sunlight and should be watered 2-3 times a week there is great potential for weeds. This is why growing them out of a rocky area is preferred and in general has a great aesthetic appeal. The best thing about them though is that they can tolerate a lot of water or a lot of forgetfulness.

Please post any advice, tips, or points with growing morning glories. I know I make them a lot harder to handle than they actually are but I really enjoy growing these and have been gifted a handful of a variety of rare crossbreeds and color combination's. Contact me if you have some of your own or are interested in trading.

Introduction to the Debate over Hoodia

By now almost everyone has heard mention of the hoodia ‘wonder plant’, or as it is inappropriately titled, the hoodia ‘cactus.’ Easy diet solutions are always in demand and the hoodia plant is being thrown right in the mix.

The hoodia is in the family Apocynaceae with H. gordonii being the species specifically used in the weight loss market. The plant is roughly 3-5 inches tall and grows in a cluster formation in southern Africa. It is used as a dietary suppressant by the San people of the area in order to force them their bodies to consume less during dry specials for food. The plant also features a handful of small circular flowers, with a flesh like appearance, and texture. To add to the morbidity they also often smell of rotting meat.

Once it was easily discovered that these plants had potential to be marketed as a weight loss supplement, Pfizer isolated the active ingredient called P57 and began marketing under their trademark. Although minimal, the San people do see some profits from their local medicinal plant. Since then hundreds of other companies have jumped on the band wagon. Now, all Hoodia sp. are being utilized. Since the explosion of interest and demand for these products, wild crafted specimens began demanding a premium, thus the plants have become monitored and controlled in the international market.

To this day there is little to no scientific evidence to suggest that P57 has any effect on appetite suppression. Furthermore, there is even less evidence to suggest this from commercially cultivated specimens. So why the hurry and rush for these items? They are actually quite expensive, comparative to other weight loss supplements. Most thermogenics are at a relatively similar price, and many off brands are cheaper. Multivitamins, green tea, fish oils, and the like can all be purchased for less. The lowest price I saw for hoodia supplements was marked down to $12 for a 7 day supply, based on an expiration date. Price is not a factor, but rather ease. This is another get slim quick item. It requires no work, no sacrifice, just a bit of extra money.

What do you think about this topic? How does this affect the San people? Is money enough for them to be compensated for the damage and loss of their plant? Will a large enough market emerge for the growth of the hoodia to become something as commonly cultivated as a tea or coffee? Is it ethical to purchase these items? Should one attempt to grow their own? These and many other questions need to be answered in the further research of this plant and its benefits. It is important to remember that these plants work just well for the San people, for many generations they have. Why do they not help westerners?

If you are interested in doing further research on hoodia or even growing your own please visit the following links:

Karoo Hoodia

Before You Buy Hoodia Cactus Seeds

Breaking Hoodia Info

African Shaman Hoodia Seed for Sale

One of My New Favorites: Delosperma sp.

Delosperma sp. are a group of perennial ice plants from southern Africa. These plants are very easily grown and are an excellent ground cover. They have a nice fleshy leave structure with a solid, tough root base.

I was gifted Delosperma bosseranum seeds last winter and planted a handful before giving away the rest last spring. The photo above is one plant about 2 months old taken in June. The seeds were easily sown, in fact this was one of the easiest plants I have propagated. The seeds were placed on regular cactus soil bought at a Home Depot or Loews. They were then sprayed to keep moist with a lid on top to keep humidity high. After just days, many seeds had propagated. Within weeks they were losing their initial leaves and starting to mature. At that point I placed the trays outside and continued spraying, but started removing the humidity dome. At that point the more powerful plants took over and the smaller ones were lost. Within another week the plants were transferred to a terra cota pots in my backyard. They were absolutely neglected at that point. They do not mind water or lack thereof. I basically allowed the rainwater to take care of them. No fertilizers were used.



By mid summer they had produced small white flowers and started showing evidence for seeds. The above photo, although a bit blurry shows two D. bosseranum. At this point, one can see the tan to brown colored pods throughout. These appeared about two weeks after the tiny gentle white flowers. The pods contain a decent amount of seeds, on mine, an average of about 20 per pod.

At the end of the season these two were brought inside for the winter. Hopefully they can make it through the winter, otherwise I'm going to be looking for another source of seed as I have already given away all of the seed from these two. I am told these can be easily propagated by cutting as well.