Squeezyjohn's 2014 Grow Blog

[squeezyjohn]

Yeah - I do have access to manure - our farmer down the road does delivery of a full trailer-load very cheaply (cow manure) ... however there is no road access to my plot which means I have to shovel the whole load by hand and wheelbarrow from the road - so it's difficult! A trailer load is several tons of manure! Last year I managed to get it tipped over the fence while the field behind was between crops - but it's not normally that simple.

There are lots of stables I can get fresh horse manure for free too - as long as I shovel it in sacks myself. I also get spent hops (left over after brewing at the local brewery) ready in sacks and that's great as a mulch or as organic matter for the ground.

The patch with the Silver River has had manure spread on it 2 years in a row (I let the worms take it underground in the winter instead of digging and messing with the soil structure) - the patch with the Yellow Twist Bud was reclaimed from the weeds by growing potatoes last year and only lightly manured ... and I fear that's the main reason for such a big difference in the performance.

I am keeping an eye on the field behind and as soon as the (different) farmer who tends that land harvests his hay - I will ask if it's OK for the other farmer to deliver the manure through his field. And this time I will concentrate on the areas where it's performed badly with a thick layer this winter. If I miss the window for getting the delivery this way - I will have to cart it manually which is almost a whole day's work!

 

[grgfinney]

The plants in the pic look good

 

[POGreen]

I mean that there is just advantages to be made by using manure in anyone's grow , especially if you can get it down below the surface.

 

[Markw]

Looking good Squeezy. some of my plants have been funny this year, some just don't want to grow, have you looked at some green manure that could help the soil big time. I think you will find that the rustica will not cross with normal tobacco .

 

[squeezyjohn]

I don't think that there's any doubt that manure on a growing space can only make it better! Unless you're growing carrots - manure makes them grow about 10 legs each!

I get mine nice and deep in the soil without any spade normally. I put the manure on top of the soil at the end of the growing season - and when it comes to planting time in the spring nearly all of it has disappeared! The soil looks darker brown than the year before - and the worms did all the digging for me saving my back!

Look after the soil and the worms and they will look after you!

 

[squeezyjohn]

I just got back in from priming a few straggling bottom leaves and mud-lugs that were going yellow and brown on the plant - and MAN ALIVE! DGBAMA was right - the sticky residue on the main leaves of the Silver Rivers is something else! My arm hairs are covered in the stuff like glue. I hope it's a good sign for the main harvest!

This is the first year the summer has been hot and dry enough for the plants to seem to be ripening properly here in the UK, depending on the variety I've got yellowing leaves, some yellow and green crocodile skin effect on the Silver Rivers too - and some of the mud lugs were completely cured when I picked them.

The Silver Rivers are the pride and joy - starting to bud at about 5 foot tall with at least twenty useable leaves each. I've chosen my plants to keep seed from and have the bags ready to pounce!

The African Reds, Yellow Twist Buds, and Oxford 207s on the poorer soil are much more stunted - as they are also budding I will collect seeds from the strongest plants and at least have lots of seed to have another go with them under better growing conditions next year. And I will also be able to experiment with making snus from the leaf I will get this year - so it's not a disaster ... just more education and perfecting the art!

 

[squeezyjohn]

A family outing at the allotment ... Silver River dwarfed by climbing cucumbers and sweetcorn along with me and my family!


And my zero pounds allotment shed with grape vines growing around the top and first priming of Yellow Twist Bud plants hiding on the right hand side under the work-table:

 

[Brown Thumb]

That is one HAppy, Happy Patch. Congrats.

 

[deluxestogie]

Great photos.

Bob

 

[DGBAMA]

Great pix. The SR looks strong, in a few weeks I bet you have to look up to them.

 

[Knucklehead]

Nice looking family squeezy.

 

[Markw]

Looking good Squeezy, I love the shed with the leaf hanging up under the bar top, the allotment looks good.

 

[POGreen]

That looks almost like The Garden of Eden to me , great lookin family John !
That SR is sure looking good , wonder what it would taste like in snus.

 

[squeezyjohn]

That looks almost like The Garden of Eden to me , great lookin family John !
That SR is sure looking good , wonder what it would taste like in snus.

Only one way to find out!

 

[POGreen]

I have included it amongst the varieties I want to grow next year , definitely.

 

[grgfinney]

Happy family in a nice garden great pic John

 

[squeezyjohn]

I topped all the Silver Rivers today except the bagged one as they were about to break buds on the flowers.

The Yellow Twist Bud plants are actually looking OK for the main part and although they are short - they have a lot of leaves and the bottom ones are quite an acceptable size. These are also topped now.

African Red is the most disappointingly small of the bunch - I think they need an earlier start, wider spacing, and better soil. However - I will collect seeds. The pictures of other people's African Red still makes me think they're worth growing.

Oxford 207 is still growing well - my 8 plants are looking happy and making very broad leaves at the bottom - again they're short and just coming in to bud - probably will get to four or five foot when they flower - but they seem to be very healthy.

My Mohawk rustica patch with the 1 ft spacing is topped and suckered every day or two - leaves seem to be what I'd think is a "normal" rustica size (enough to cover a small plate) ... but the plants have headed for the sky ... the one left to flower has got up above my head at 6 foot.

It has been a really good summer for the weather for tobacco this year, the blessing of growing in the UK has again been:

Hornworms - nil
Cutworms - nil
Budworms - nil
Flea Beetle - nil
Aphids - nil

It really does seem as if the only thing that will eat tobacco leaves here is slugs and snails ... and they only go for the very young plants just after transplanting.

It's nice to take the positives ... the negatives will undoubtedly come when the weather becomes wetter and I try to air cure ... again!

 

[Rickey60]

Love the pictures, happy family. I can't say "nil" on the bug issues. Your garden looks great, good job.

 

[squeezyjohn]

I am intrigued as to how the Silver River is going to taste as a snus ... so I took one of the tips of the primed lower leaves/lugs that had already cured brown and tastes a little bit by chewing it.

The lugs on their own are very mild tasting ... but I could definitely taste that Silver River taste that some describe as menthol and others describe as cedar wood. To me it is a resinous herbal taste and it's very pleasant. There is a little nicotine in those bottom leaves but I'm hoping for more of it in the main leaves. Because SR is described as a low to medium nicotine plant, I fertilised with a great deal of chicken manure around the plants to try and increase it ... as this tobacco is all destined for smokeless tobacco I have no worry about the burning quality that can diminish if it's over fertilised at the later stages. I would like to leave the leaf on the plant as long as possible after topping - but with enough time to cure properly in the warm August weather. Balancing act!

 

[squeezyjohn]

A quick visit to the plot today for a bit of sucker removal since my topped plants are beginning to try and branch out!

The Silver River is yellowing and ripening from the bottom up nicely:



And my mohawk Rustica really doesn't seem to mind the close spacing I've given it ... leaves are as big as I've had in previous years (not up to POGreen's standards - but it's amazing how they shake off overcrowding!)


The one Mohawk that I left to flower is now taller than the Silver River! And taller than me too. Not bad going for a Rustica.

I am looking forward to harvest time in the next few weeks ... every available hanging space is being cleared.