Rustica in Southeast Alaska: @Kushtaka

[Kushtaka]

Most of the plants this year are the children of a single Aztec rustica that barely grew but pushed out some seeds. I don't think it was even 6 inches tall. My saved seeds did best but I added some Mohawk that germinated. Unfortunately none of the N. Tobacum even germinated. So straight rustica here.



Then just a few days later.


Very happy so far.

 

[Tutu]

Looking good!

 

[Kushtaka]

7/5

7/7 after 1.25 inches rain, wind and 50 degree highs. I expected it to be more beat up. Good to see some tolerance for my maritime rainforest climate. There is some slug damage on a sweaker plant. But overall not much pest damage so far.
I'll need to give them more space next year. I was really expecting another year of weak plants before the seed adapted this well.

 

[Kushtaka]

Transplanted June 1st. Seeded on May 1st under light indoors. I harvested a few yellowed leaves that were heavily shaded 3 days ago. Today I harvested several leaves that had started yellowing. If I don't harvest them they start to get rot spots. I think the yellowing is primarily from lack of light as the canopy is pretty thick. Some of the leaves are completely yellow with no green. It is a pain to harvest with the plants so close but the yellowing might be desired if they cure nicely.

Suckering and forming flower buds.

Since this is my first year with a good number of plants I am going to let them do their thing and see what happens.

Today's harvest. The largest leaf is about 10 inches long.

I left them in the sun while I did today's garden chores. Then hung them in my shed.

The first harvest is at the end of the line. The darker green in the background are some early season greens I pulled to test curing in this location. Not tobacco but no mold on them.

First harvest. Has been hanging for 3 days.

 

[Kushtaka]

August 1st. If I'm lucky I will get 45 more days of summer weather. Then the sun is gone, the rains come, and 50f highs.
The plants are getting taller. Lower leaves are yellowing.


I picked a few more yellowed leaves.


This one is starting to look like savoyed spinach. I assume that is ripening even though nothing has blossomed yet.

 

[Kushtaka]

Well it is time for the newbie game of "is it mold". I have the leaves picked on the 1st towel curing. Those are good. But, the weather has been a bit cooler with several inches of rain in the last week. Checking on my hanging leaves from the first harvest I see some white mold (bottom) where the leaf curled over itself. The black specs at top of frame look like the start of mold but don't wipe off. So, are the black specs mold?

It is apparent that as soon as the leaf starts drying this location will no longer suffice. Mid summer it maintained a better temp. Looks like air cure in the shed is out.

These leaves are nicely yellow but they were never that green.

My options for drying are taking indoors where the missus will protest or use a food dehydrator to quickly dry the leaves with very low throughput. I will try both to see which works better. I dry lots of other herbs that way. My question is what the concensus is on using a dehydrator to dry leaves for storage? What is the effect of drying quickly after yellowing?