Posted on 08/20/2009 5:29:15 AM PDT by Peter Horry
RICHMOND, Va. -- Something unusual is cropping up alongside the tomatoes, eggplant and okra in Scott Byars' vegetable garden - the elephantine leaves of 30 tobacco plants.
Driven largely by ever-rising tobacco prices, he's among a growing number of smokers who have turned to their green thumbs to cultivate tobacco plants to blend their own cigarettes, cigars and chew. Byars normally pays $5 for a five-pack of cigars and $3 for a tin of snuff; the seed cost him $9.
"I want to get to where I don't have to go to the store and buy tobacco, but I'll just be able to supply my own from one year to the next," Byars said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thestate.com ...
I’m sure government will figure out how to tax it or make it illegal.
After all, it is illegal to grow certain other plants even for your own use.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama doesn’t eventually try to tax ANY produce that you grow in your own backyard. There must be millions in “unclaimed tax dollars” sitting around in people’s vegetable gardens.
It is called the ATF&E and they are not very friendly.
I encourage people to click the link too see what all is involved in growing your own, it’s a lot more complex than sewing some seeds and watching them grow.
What I didn’t see mentioned is that not all climates in the U.S. are suitable for tobacco.
If you don’t mind all the work involved, just do it. The gov. hasn’t taxed it yet and when they do, they will want to tax my veggie garden too.
I’m all for self reliance and learning something new.
Go for it and grow your own.
Just give them time before investing in hydroponics for raising tobacco. They’ll make it illegal eventually, as well.
WHAT? This is nuts! I can sell or trade my tomatoes, corn and cukes! What's the difference?
Smokers Grow Their Own Tobacco
Darn, I thought I would be the only tobacco user raising their own tobacco.
Presently the law allows 1/4 acre per. but, if the word gets out, I’m sure Obama is going to either tax it to death or stop the growing all together.
I remember an old farmer from my youth who smoked a pipe, and grew his own tobacco. He would platt the leaves together and, would always carry a sharp knife to cut it for smoking.
I was twenty year old at the time and I to smoked a pipe occasionally. One day I ask him for enough to load my pipe...it was darn good. So, I’m now sixty five yr. old and still smoke a pipe, so what the ha!/ I have 35 plats in my garden growing, seven feet tall and still growing.
;-)
Who is growing their own?
The homegrown would be healthier without all the additives that a commercial pack of smokes contains. Any info on how to dry the leaves or other basic processing?
You are right.
Cigarette tobacco is made of leaf, blended leaf, reconstituted leaf (look it up and you’ll not want to buy commercial cigarette tobacco again), and stems.
At least with the home-grown stuff, you’ll know what’s in it.
“What I didn’t see mentioned is that not all climates in the U.S. are suitable for tobacco.”
FYI, some of the finest tobacco in the world is grown along the Conn. River valley on the CT & Mass. border.
These are the leaves used to wrap expensive cigars.
Slight correction here. The law allows for 1/10 of an acre (about 4,500 sqft) per property owner.
Other than that, I agree totally with you.
My seeds never germinated :(
www.seedman.com
They sell many varieties of tobacco seeds and have excellent books on the entire process.
Here’s one worthy of an odd gardening ping if ever I saw one...
Sorry to hear that.
To be honest, that was a whole lot easier to take than losing my entire pepper crop :(
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