deluxestogie Grow Log 2016

[deluxestogie]

Latest Year Ever

Today, I finished transplanting the tobacco. Screwy, wet weather made it troublesome to prepare the beds during April and much of May. Since I do all of this by hand, I fall behind when the weather doesn't cooperate.

This mapping isn't what I started out planning, but it's what the god of tiny seedlings allowed me. The older I get, the less I worry about particular varieties not coming through for me. It is what it is.

As usual, the larger beds are 60 square feet each, and hold 16 full-size tobacco plants. The small beds are half that size. Regardless, they are laid out as staggered rows, like the Vuelta Abajo bed below.

During previous years, I covered the new tobacco transplants with Agribon-AG15, mostly to prevent nesting birds from harvesting them for bedding. With the late start this year, the tobacco was safe, but the veggies needed protection from rabbits, groundhogs, deer, and the neighbor's baby goat kid (small enough to easily pass through their fencing). Since I don't like putting up my own fencing--or paying for it--I try to plant enough extra veggies to share with the critters. They were not very gracious this year.

So, now that every joint and muscle protests at the slightest disturbance, I have the satisfaction of doing nothing for a couple of days.

Bob

 

[Brown Thumb]

Jeesh, looks good tho.
the weather kicked my butt also.

 

[Smokin Harley]

"So, now that every joint and muscle protests at the slightest disturbance, I have the satisfaction of doing nothing for a couple of days"

haha, I had the same thing happen for 4 days after I put my plants out. Hamstrings were screaming.
Looks like a nice yard and garden plots as usual, Bob.

Half of your 2016 list looks like half of my 2015 list.

 

[deluxestogie]

The new varieties that I planted this year:

• Corojo 99 (Robaina)
• Coroja (Cuba) Pi 405643
• Criollo (Cuba) Ti 1376
• Baldio Vera (Spain)
• Nostrano del Brenta (Italy)

and one from a few years back:

• Hacienda del Cura (Canary Islands)

At the moment, I'm in love with cigars made of the combination of Havana 322 and Long Red, spiced with Don's Paraguay Flojo (Africa), and wrapped in either Havana 322 or Don's Habano 2000. Since my cigar leaf production is only a tiny operation, some batches are better than others. But, like growing veggies at home, the variety and joy of growing it myself more than compensates for the absence of standardization.

Bob

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

What's the distance between those plants on the diagonal, give or take, in the 5x12 beds?

 

[deluxestogie]

Diagonal distance is 21.6". Here is a diagram from my 2012 grow log:

Those precise measurements are theoretical. Each of my large beds is roughly 5' x 12'. Standing along one long side, I scribe a centerline by guestimation. Then I repeat that process on each half, to end up with 4 roughly equal sections that are 5' x 3'. I just eyeball the staggered location of 4 holes for each little section. Sometimes it's perfect; sometimes messy.

Each year, the surrounding turf invades the margin. Every few years, I aggressively re-dig the margins back to their original locations. I've found that using a propane garden torch like a big Magic Marker to define and align the margins helps me to dig straighter beds (for the neighbors' benefit).

My bed layout is truly efficient at keeping my boots out of the mud while planting, tending and harvesting the tobacco. The greatest disadvantage is that I have to hand mow between the beds, pushing a walk-behind mower with a bagger, in order to avoid spraying grass clippings onto the tobacco.

Bob

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Thanks for the explanation. I'm also about to try to plant, and I've been debating on diagonal spacing in double rows and the distance between said rows. If you don't suffer any loss of leaf quality on the interior sides, I may tighten up just a touch to around 22" (I usually cut scrap wood to the right lengths to just lay out) and maybe go 30" between double rows (the aisle). I'm small. Does that seem reasonable?

Edit: I'm doing long rows on the vacant lot from last year. If I ever get any damn thing done, I'll take pictures.

 

[deluxestogie]

I estimate that large, cigar varieties extend their leaves to a radius of about 18" (give or take 10"). So even 36" between rows that you intend to walk through seems insufficient. I would suggest a minimum aisle width of maybe 4', if you have the room. If not, you can squeeze through a 36" aisle without breaking too many leaves.

With regard to nearby plants affecting the growth of the leaves between them, my Swarr-Hibshman last year produced truly huge leaves. They just made room for one another, and grew beautifully.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Tree Root Zone Effect

This garden bed is in my back yard. A huge silver maple tree (~150+ years old) is located about 25 feet away. During the summer, it does not shade the garden bed, but its root zone, which extends beyond the canopy, intrudes into the bed, drawing away the soil moisture and other nutrients. Each spring, when I dig the bed, I pull out gobs of tiny maple roots. If this bed is not watered regularly, it is a desert, and won't grow even weeds or grass.

As you can see with the corn and surviving bean plants, the closer they are to the tree, the less robust their growth, despite my watering it every one to two days.

In this final image, notice the squash plants to the right. The plants farthest from the tree (farthest to the right) are larger, even though those on the far right are more crowded.

I've noticed this in the tobacco beds that are within the root zone of another silver maple, and documented the same effect in a previous grow log.

So, despite being clear of any shade effect, proximity to a large tree can impact growth. In large corn fields, corn plants that grow near a fence line in which trees have been allowed to grow always show stunting.

Bob

 

[BarG]

Bob, the deer have hit my peas, potatoes, squash,beans, tomatoes this year, they come every night and clean me out. I will be lucky to get some corn.

 

[BarG]

I put a stinky t shirt up as scare crow but works one night only, heh heh

 

[deluxestogie]

...the deer have hit my peas, potatoes, squash,beans, tomatoes this year, they come every night and clean me out

Well, Tim, I never imagined you to be the sponsor of an animal rights non-profit. That's truly noble.

Bob

 

[BarG]

I always feed the wildlife, you know me. my freezer is always full. seriously Am having to buy some ribeyes on occasion to switch from venison and pork.

 

[BarG]

you would be proud of me . I only killed one buck last year. my son in laws are finally learning to get their own. But the pigs are going down, 3 200 lbers in the last 2 months.

 

[BarG]

I tried an experiment this year Bob with my corn, I planted sweet white corn mixed with field corn to see if I can get some sweet yellow white from the field corn.

 

[BarG]

next year I will do it different and keep them separeted in alternate rows instead of mixing the seeds. the white corn started pollinating sooner so have to take that into account also.

 

[Smokin Harley]

I tried an experiment this year Bob with my corn, I planted sweet white corn mixed with field corn to see if I can get some sweet yellow white from the field corn.

Only if their pollination times coincide ,65-75 vs 100-120 dtm and you won't see any real result until you plant next year what you pick and let dry this year. Might see some slight flavor changes this year though.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Only if their pollination times coincide ,65-75 vs 100-120 dtm and you won't see any real result until you plant next year what you pick and let dry this year. Might see some slight flavor changes this year though.

Could you save pollen from the earlier crop and pollinate the second with it?

 

[Smokin Harley]

good question. I have no idea about that.

 

[deluxestogie]

Exposed to air and sun, corn pollen is viable for only about 2 hours.

https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/cs/abstracts/41/5/1551?access=0&view=pdf

Bob