Deluxestogie Grow Log 2026

[deluxestogie]

If it were at all possible, I'd ask for some of that rain down here. We are so dry. Its not affecting the tobacco so much but my lettuce is a wilted mess.

Current Map | U.S. Drought Monitor

droughtmonitor.unl.edu

My area is only in "severe" drought, whereas your area is in "extreme" drought.

Bob

 

[jclif43]

As the crow flies, you and Bob aren’t that far apart, it’s crazy how much the Blue Ridge affects the weather.

 

[deluxestogie]

It's been a trying and minimally productive day. Scorching heat and unexpected rain left me with one small victory. Part of my tilled veggie bed was cleaned and prepared, and four Big Beef tomato plants were placed. Yay!

I still need to clean and prep the two tilled tobacco beds.

Large bed (5' x 12').

Small bed (5' x 6').

I was unable to mow. My increasingly unreliable weather forecasts mean that I will just have to pretend it's 1850, and plant the tobacco when I can.

Bob

 

[BahstanStoges]

It unexpectedly rained at 4:30 pm today, and got everything soaked. And tomorrow, the big rain day in the forecast, will be a sunny day. Bed preps are not quite done. My priority for tomorrow morning is to put in my 4 tomato plants, which are growing taller by the hour, and can't be clipped like tobacco. Then I'll see if I can get at least some of the tobacco in the ground.

I should really, really mow the lawn tomorrow, but my lawn tractor will simply have to cope with disappointment—unless I can put in all the tobacco before about 6 pm.

Bob

By clipping, you mean you clip off the top of the plants at a certain height as opposed to thinning?

I know many cigar companies do this with their grows to ensure an even grow, but it seems like you do it to help if there’s a delay in transplant?

 

[deluxestogie]

In commercial tobacco growing, the greenhouses contain tracks above the float trays. A lawn mower is moved along the tracks. Its updraft lifts the leaves of the tobacco seedlings, and clips them. This process is mostly done so that the seedlings can be held in the greenhouse until the weather or field conditions are suitable for planting.

I clip my leaves (not the top of the plants) for the same reason. Otherwise, the fastest growing seedlings will shade-out their neighbors. Their height is not an issue; just their spread. I use scissors to clip the individual leaves. The growth tip of the stalk is never clipped.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

At least it is still May! What trying weather for a codger. After a week of rain every day, I have yet to see a single puddle. (Therefore, I have seen only a couple of lost mosquitoes wandering about.) Since the rainy days ended, every morning the grass is covered with dew until about noon, and the surface soil of the garden beds is sticky. By the time the dew has cleared, the temp is up to 80°F+.

My garden is prepared with a mattock, a long-handle hoe, and a small hand cultivator. No machines. No fuel. The half-bed received 1 bag (28 pounds) of Black Kow composted manure (0.5-0.5-0.5). The full bed got two bags. Also, both beds were fertilized with 10-10-10, at about the rate for tomatoes. Each transplant, after being tamped, received 2 cups of water, to settle the roots.

I managed to prep and transplant 16 Izmir-Ozbas on May 29, into the short bed:

The Long Red (8 of them) went in yesterday, and the Dutch (Ohio) (8 of them) were transplanted today, both into the long bed:

Below is a side view of the long bed:

Bob