Wombat's 2026 Grow Log

[Wombat_smokes]

Well...... one of my worries has come true.


Åhus is flowering. I'm certain I did nothing wrong except under estimate how fast it matures. According to Northwest Seeds, Åhus reaches maturity 30 days after transplanting and can be harvested by 45 days. Reflecting on this 1st crop experience, one should not start seeds 6-8 weeks before transplant, but rather 4 weeks due to it's rapid maturity. When I evaluate my "days" after seed start, 4 weeks plus 30 days hits around this/next week. I'll still transplant and top this 1st crop so they can benefit from natural sunlight and soil. I'll collect seeds from my 2nd crop.

I also decided to test the frost resistance of One Sucker. I transplanted 8 extras where the frost test Åhus was. The cold spell for later this week has been downgraded to 3 nights of light/moderate frost (38-35°F). We'll see what happens.


PS - I'm planning a 2nd crop of One Sucker also. Fingers crossed that the weather in September/October works out.

 

[Wombat_smokes]

My paper bag pilones are coloring nicely. All varieties show some level of coloring up. Here is a picture of the Åhus.

I didn't think these clipping were mature enough to color cure. I'm glad I tried. This looks to be a viable "box curing" alternative for the Brightleaf primings. The plan for Brightleaf is sun cure the primings and stalk harvest when the top most leaves show signs of maturity. I'll choose some plants to prime completely so I have some ripe top leaves.

 

[Wombat_smokes]

The temperature right now is 38°F
Tomorrow morning should be the same. Daytime temps are ~58°F. I'm certain the One Sucker will be fine, but I won't be able to check until tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Wombat_smokes]

48°F this morning. Should drop another 4 degrees by sunrise. Good and warm daytime temperatures (64°F) today. 36°F for tomorrow's forecasted low. I'm not worried about survival, just how many extra plants are going to the compost

 

[Wombat_smokes]

It's a rainy 47°F this morning. Everyone got lots of sun and water yesterday. I planted the Åhus in some backyard grow boxes I use for some light gardening for my kids. My 5 yr old daughter loves that her "hummingbird" plant has pink flowers.

I gave Frog Eye Orinoco and Shargo a haircut this morning. It was more like a 1st priming given the size and yellowing of the leaves I removed.

My paper bag curing is going VERY well. I didn't expect the Bursa to color up, but they're doing very well.
The Åhus primings are also close to finishing.


Some of my One Sucker leaves finished browning, so I separated them in a phone book to finish drying.

I'm noticing that as the leaves reach full browning, they start to dry out. I've been "rotating" the leaves everyday to check on status & mold. Leaving fully browned leaves with the still curing leaves seemed a recipe for disaster, hence putting the finished leaves in a single layer to dry. I've also started mixing in/wrapping yellowed, browning leaves with the still green leaves to help keep things moist enough. The best part, I know that as long as the yellowing is complete, I can hydrate leaves to finish if they do dry out.

By the way, Shargo is very Burley adjacent. Some of the primings were so yellowed they seemed to be white. All the other varieties stayed golden yellow before browning. I'm glad to have learned that Burley isn't finished until it has browned.

 

[Wombat_smokes]

35°F this morning.

Over the weekend, I braved the rain & drizzle to plant 12 Little Dutch @ 24 in. spacing, 22 One Sucker @ 12 in, 11 Prilep @ 12 in, 8 Bursa @ 18 in, and 12 Tofta @ 24 in.

I'm certain that an occasional dip to these temperatures is ok, but prolonged exposure will either stunt or kill your plants. Yes, overnight temps in the 40's are fine, but I knew planting at this time would be risky. I have extra plants and plenty of time to start more seeds. We'll see how we'll everyone fairs.

 

[johnny108]

35°F this morning.

Over the weekend, I braved the rain & drizzle to plant 12 Little Dutch @ 24 in. spacing, 22 One Sucker @ 12 in, 11 Prilep @ 12 in, 8 Bursa @ 18 in, and 12 Tofta @ 24 in.

I'm certain that an occasional dip to these temperatures is ok, but prolonged exposure will either stunt or kill your plants. Yes, overnight temps in the 40's are fine, but I knew planting at this time would be risky. I have extra plants and plenty of time to start more seeds. We'll see how we'll everyone fairs.

How tall are the plants?
Row covers or water bottles/milk jugs with the bottoms cut off can help the plants by making a “miniature greenhouse” for them.