BOOK TA80: Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home
A Guide for Gardeners
By Jim Johnson
210 Pages, Paperback, Plastic Coil Binding
Black and White Photos and Line Drawings
ISBN #0-9722794-0-7

With prices and health concerns regarding commercial types of tobacco products skyrocketing, a new generation is discovering that growing and processing their own tax free tobacco, free of dangerous chemical additives, is a very simple and straightforward process!

Tobacco is a very easy plant to grow and requires only 65-70 frost free nights to mature once transplanted outside. It is grown in every state, even Alaska. It is legal to grow and process your own tobacco at home.

Anyone with a small garden plot can grow tobacco and processing the tobacco is a simple straightforward process that the average gardener will have no problem with. Even after buying papers, filters and flavoring, you can make your own cigarettes that are superior to any commercial brand for about $5.00 a carton!

The book Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home was written with the gardener in mind. It contains all of the information included in our earlier guides, The SBE Home Tobacco Kit and Tobacco: Easier Than you Thought by Alan Daly , plus over a 100 pages of new information.

It covers all aspects of raising and processing tobacco at home. It details how to plant the seeds, care for the plants, identify and cure tobacco pests and diseases, how to harvest the plants, how to air cure, complete instructions and drawings on building your own kiln, how to flavor your tobacco, how to make cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco and snuff along with loads of other useful information.
This is a one-of-a-kind book that anyone interested in growing their own tobacco should read.
BOOK TA80: Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home $24.95
BOOK TA80: Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home $24.95

TA85: The New Home Tobacco Kit
This new Tobacco Home Starter Kit offers the above book Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home , plus one pack of TA250 Jim's Premium Tobacco Seed Blend ( over 1,000 seeds ). This is a $49.90 retail value, yours for only $39.95 when purchased as a kit.
TA85: The New Home Tobacco Kit $39.95

We suggest you download this file, read the book while the seeds are being shipped to you and be ready to hit the ground running when seeds arrive.

New! DVD001 The Seedman.com Tobacco DVD
All 3 videos, Getting Started: Tobacco and Art/Science Cigars plus the Video/Curing and Processing Tobacco at Home on a single DVD.
( $47.85 value ) $37.95

Please note that the videos Tobacco: Getting Started with Alan Daly, The Art and Science of Making Cigars Made Simple with Frank Ruiz and Alan Daly's Curing and Processing Tobacco at Home are all home made videos that are several years old and were produced using hand held camcorders ( state of the art back then, wow, now I am starting to feel old ) , video quality is rather poor by today's standards, but they contain such useful information that we still make them available for our customers.
( Go to Tobacco Videos for complete description )

New! TA86 The Home Tobacco Kit/DVD Combo
Features our new Tobacco DVD, we've combined the book Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home, plus one pack of TA250 Jim’s Premium Tobacco Seed Blend ( over 1,000 seeds ), and our 3 Tobacco Videos: ( Go to Tobacco Videos for complete description ) Tobacco: Getting Started with Alan Daly, The Art and Science of Making Cigars Made Simple with Frank Ruiz and Alan Daly's Curing and Processing Tobacco at Home, all 3 videos are on one DVD.
A $87.80 value, only $67.95 when purchase as a kit!
TA86 The Home Tobacco Kit/DVD Combo $67.95

Probably no other plant is used as much for so little to be known about it as is the noble tobacco plant. While everyone is familiar with the smoking and chewing products derived from this plant, few people realize its many other uses. It has medicinal values, makes an extremely valuable ornamental plant and flower garden specimen and is used to make one of nature's finest biodegradable, all natural pesticides.

We receive tons of questions from first time growers about tobacco growing, but probably the most often received question is: How much tobacco will a single plant produce, and how much tobacco do I need to make a carton of cigarettes?
Well, tobacco yield will vary among the different varieties, but generally a tobacco plant will produce about 3-4 ounces of dry, cured tobacco. When figuring your tobacco needs, we would advise you calculate 2 ounces per plant to have a little margin of error.
While a commercial cigarette will normally contain about 7gr. of tobacco per cigarette, this is "puffed" tobacco and non-tobacco ingredients added. A pound of pure tobacco will normally produce about 2 cartons of cigarettes.
Hope this helps you figure our your seed needs.

Another question is how long does it take to grow tobacco and where can it grow. Tobacco requires about 4-6 weeks to reach transplant size from the time you sow the seeds. Tobacco takes about 90-120 days to mature, depending on species. Tobacco can be grown in all 50 states in the USA. Tobacco is very easy to grow and has basically the same requirements in the garden as tomatoes. If you have ever had success growing tomatoes, well, tobacco is even easier.

New! TA250 Jim’s Personal Mild Cigarette Blend for First Time Growers
With all the recent interest in growing tobacco at home due to the latest tax increases, we have noticed a lot of folks buying a lot of different types of tobacco seeds because they simply weren’t sure what they needed to grow a tobacco similar to the commercial brands in the stores.
We really hate to see our customers buy more than they need, or something they probably do not need. If you are an experienced grower and want to sample the various tobacco types and create you own blends, certainly buying individual varieties of seed and trying them out in different recipes is the way to go.
But, if you are a first time grower, and all you want to do is grow a blend of tobacco that will produce the best possible mild smoking cigarette, then Jim Johnson has created a special blend of burleys, bright leaf virginia, orinoco and red leafs that he feels will get you as close as possible and at an economical price. This blend includes our best selling cigarette varieties, in a percentage based blend that Jim has been tinkering on since 1996, and now believes it is as close as it can get to satisfying the needs of most cigarette smokers.

This premium pack of seeds should germinate out over 500 transplantable plants ( after figuring 80% germination rate and estimating losing about 20% during transplanting and even taking in a 10% mortality rate for first time growers ).
If you figure 2 ounces of yield per tobacco plant ( normally you would figure 3-4 ounces, but you should always allow a margin of error when dealing with a crop harvest ), then you would wind up with about 1,000 ounces of cured tobacco. This equates to about 62.5 pounds of tobacco, a pound of true tobacco will make about 2 cartons of cigarettes, so you hope to get about 125 cartons from a crop harvest from this pack of seeds.
Now that sounds like a lot, but remember that the longer tobacco ages, the better it becomes, at some point you would like to get to the point where you are smoking tobacco that has aged naturally rather than being kiln cured. So it would be good if you could raise enough to put away some for next year.
We suggest first time growers buy this blend, then add on other varieties as they become more seasoned growers. We think it is a waste of money to buy more than you need, or can grow. Don’t need 500 plants? Don’t worry, these are fresh seeds from last season’s harvest, you can store unused seeds in a dry cool place such as a linen drawer and they will keep quite well for the following year.
We are not trying to discourage our customers from buying lots of seeds ( can’t stay in business long doing that ), but we do want to make things as simple and easy as possible for first time growers. And besides knowing that you are producing a far healthier smoke than what you are currently buying in the stores, isn’t saving money the main reason you are growing tobacco to start with?
TA250 Mild Cigarette Blend for First Time Growers $24.50 per .625cc pack of seeds ( over 1,000 seeds )

New! TA800 Jim’s Personal Full Flavor Cigarette Blend for First Time Growers ( with Oriental and Turkish varieties ) For those wanting a full flavor type tobacco similar to to the filterless cigarettes on the market today, Jim Johnson has created a special blend of burleys, bright leaf virginia, dark leaf, oriental and turkish varieties that he feels will get you as close as possible and at an economical price. This blend includes some of our best selling cigarette varieties, along with some special house varieties that we do not offer for sale, in a percentage based blend that Jim has been tinkering on since 1996, and now believes it is as close as it can get to satisfying the needs of most cigarette smokers seeking a full ( but not harsh ) flavor.

This premium pack of seeds should germinate out over 500 transplantable plants ( after figuring 80% germination rate and estimating losing about 20% during transplanting and even taking in a 10% mortality rate for first time growers ).
If you figure 2 ounces of yield per tobacco plant ( normally you would figure 3-4 ounces, but you should always allow a margin of error when dealing with a crop harvest ), then you would wind up with about 1,000 ounces of cured tobacco. This equates to about 62.5 pounds of tobacco, a pound of true tobacco will make about 2 cartons of cigarettes, so you hope to get about 125 cartons from a crop harvest from this pack of seeds.
Now that sounds like a lot, but remember that the longer tobacco ages, the better it becomes, at some point you would like to get to the point where you are smoking tobacco that has aged naturally rather than being kiln cured. So it would be good if you could raise enough to put away some for next year.
We suggest first time growers buy this blend, then add on other varieties as they become more seasoned growers. We think it is a waste of money to buy more than you need, or can grow. Don’t need 500 plants? Don’t worry, these are fresh seeds from last season’s harvest, you can store unused seeds in a dry cool place such as a linen drawer and they will keep quite well for the following year.

 TA800 Full Flavor Cigarette Blend for First Time Growers $24.50 per .625cc pack of seeds ( over 1,000 seeds )

Chewing Tobacco Selections
We highly recommend the following selections for chewing tobacco. Each variety produces a dark, thin leafed tobacco with excellent flavor. Each has it's own unique flavor.

TA62 Yellow Orinoco
These seeds are descendants from the heirloom Virginia Orinoco plants grown back as far as the 1700's. Considered to be one of the sweetest varieties available, this is and excellent plug variety, and is often used in pipe mixtures as well.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA110 Greenwood Dark
Medium, smooth leaf, cures to a dark brown with fine chewing tobacco flavor. High yields.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA111 Little Crittenden
An old Kentucky heirloom for making old fashioned chewing tobacco. Good yield and cures well.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA112 Narrow Leaf Madole
An old Kentucky favorite used by many growers for it's thin, dark leaves. Also a good cigar wrapper as well as chewing tobacco. Good yield and cures well.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA39 Havana 501
A large leaf type Havana well suited for chewing. Grows better than other varieties in poor soil. A large plant reaching 6-7 ft. with leaves spaced far apart.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

Tobacco selections for making cigarettes

TA14 Common Smoking Tobacco ( Tabacum Burley )
This is a standard Burley that is grown in several states. It produces a very good tobacco for cigarettes. Grows to 6 ft. with sturdy stalks. One of the most widely grown cultivated tobaccos. Has limited disease resistance, is an excellent choice for first time growers.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA16 Standard Burley Tobacco ( Tabacum burley var. compact )
A fine commercial strain that is used for its hardiness and smooth flavor. A must for cigarette making. This plant grows fast and is a high yield producer. I recommend leaving up to 14 leaves on this plant when pruning.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA64 Silkleaf
An old heirloom type that is not hardly found anymore, thanks to New Hope Tobacco for keeping this one available. A good producer of cigarette leaf, plants grow about 6 feet tall, and also does very well in tubs for growers with small amounts of space.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA202 Virginia Gold
A very light gold leaf when curing, it makes an excellent smoking tobacco. Grows to 5 ft. tall with a heavy yield.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA101 Golden Seal Special Burley
An up right variety with more leaves than most varieties. Is taller than most varieties on the market. Cures a golden color. Good cigarette selection, one of the heaviest producers.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA102 Lizard Tail Orinoco
This is one of the burley cigarette varieties that has long been grown in Virginia. The leaves are closely spaced on the stalk and are of medium size. Leaf body is heavy. Good cigarette blending tobacco.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA103 Goose Creek Red
This is a one sucker burley variety that cures up a wonderful red color. A good smoking tobacco that works well for blending cigars and cigarettes.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA104 Walker's Broadleaf
This is an older variety that was originated in Virginia. The leaves are closely spaced on the stalk and are wider than most varieties. Provides a large bounty of tobacco in a small space. Good cigarette tobacco.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA107 Brown Leaf
This variety originated in Kentucky. It has relatively large leaves of medium body that cures out a deep, rich brown color. A heirloom cigarette tobacco.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA108 Lizard Tail Turtlefoot
A dark tobacco of good quality. This cross produces more weight than most varieties being grown at present. It has a little larger leaf than Orinoco. Good blender for cigarettes and cigars.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA109 Shirey
This is a variety used by many growers to produce a good yield of high quality dark tobacco. A favorite cigarette tobacco for home growers.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA09 Perique Tobacco
Rare and famous Louisiana tobacco known for it's dark, black color and unique flavor when cured. Tobacco was originally cured by stuffing it into hollow logs until fermented. Perique is a spice tobacco, usually used in Virginia blends. It has a dark, oily appearance, when cured and a taste of pepper and figs. Its flavor is a little strong, so it is usually found mostly in blends. It can be smoked straight, but isn't intended to be. Being acidic, it tends to alleviate alkaline tongue bite, which is so often a problem with Virginia tobacco, so it is recommend to blend this with your cigarette blends.
$2.20 per pack

TA30 Tennessee Burley #TN90
This is a standard Tennessee Burley that produces good yield, high quality tobacco that is favored for cigarettes. This plant has multiple disease resistance. A vigorous plant that is easy to grow.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

Cigar Tobaccos ( wrappers, binders, fillers )

TA58 Connecticut Shade Leaf
We have obtained seeds from one of the oldest tobacco growers in the Connecticut Valley, which is a major source of some of the world's finest wrapper leaves. This golden colored wrapper tobacco is highly regarded and praised by many cigar makers and connoisseurs. Connecticut Shade originated from a strain of Cuban seed, is shade-grown under huge tents of gauze cloth ( or greenhouse shade netting ) to protect the delicate leaf. It is thin, deeply veined and used to wrap around famous brands cigars such as Macanudo, Davidoff, Montecristo, Ashton and Fonseca, among many others.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA60 Pennsylvania Red Leaf
This is a premium cigar filler type tobacco having beautiful dark colored, long leaves. Works for filler, binder, and if cured properly can be used as a wrapper. Has a rich, deep flavor that blends well with any tobacco, especially the Havana types we offer.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA69 Long Red Leaf
The long leaves of this plant can be used for a beautiful wrapper, and the parts of the leaf that are not useable for wrapping can be used for filler or binder, it has such a good, deep flavor you will not want to waste any.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA70 Connecticut Broadleaf
We have had customers asking for this variety for years, we were finally able to get seed stock and can now offer this old heirloom type dating back to the 1800’s. Large soft leaves make very good wrapper, filler or binder.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA65 Zimmer Spanish
This is an old heirloom variety predating the 1880's. A somewhat squat plant growing about 4 feet tall, it stands up in the garden well without staking, and also does very well in tubs for growers with small amounts of space.
This is a good cigar variety as it can be used for filler, binder and wrapper. According to my cigar rolling friend Jose, it makes a great binder leaf as the leaves hold up well for this.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA66 Little Dutch
An old heirloom variety predating the 1880's rumored to have come from Germany. A somewhat squat plant like the Zimmerman Spanish, growing about 4 feet tall, it stands up in the garden well without staking, and also does very well in tubs for growers with small amounts of space, probably one of the best we have tried at growing in pots.
I consider this the best tobacco for cigar wrapper leaf, or at least tied with Small Stalk Black Mammoth. The long, narrow, thick leaves are perfect for wrapping, and color well as they age.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA61 Havana Long Red Leaf
This is a wonderful dark leafed tobacco for cigars, making a good filler, binder that imparts a deep, rich flavors to cigars. Leaves are dark, long and narrow, and offer a good high yield harvest.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA32 Havana #142
An excellent Havana tobacco that produces a quick harvest in about 65 days. This is a good tobacco for both chewing and cigars. This is an especially good tobacco for the North and is easily raised as far North as Wisconsin. A good filler and binder for cigars, good cigarette tobacco too.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA34 Havana #608
Said to be the best Havana for home use. Produces a quick crop in about 65 days, and is good for cigars or chewing. This plant gives a high yield and is also recommended for growing in the North. First time growers should definitely try this one!
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA03 Monte Calme Yellow
A favorite European variety that features wide, thin leaves that preferred for cigar wrappers. Grows to about 6 ft. tall, producing a large crop. Mild flavor, can also be used for cigarette blends.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA28 Small Stalk Black Mammoth
This is a deep dark tobacco that gives good weight and supports itself very well. This is a tobacco prized by specialty growers because it provides a great wrapper tobacco or a premium snuff tobacco when ripe. A good tobacco for beginners learning to roll their own cigars or for first time snuff makers.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA24 Madole
A fine commercial variety that is fast growing and hardy. I recommend growing this one if you smoke cigars.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

Tobacco selections for making pipe tobacco.

TA116 Tennessee Red Leaf
A fast growing, high yielding tobacco with large leaves that cure to a red color, excellent cigarette and pipe blend.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA05 Orinoco
A tall tobacco with thick textured, crinkly leaves that produces a rich brown pipe tobacco that is a favorite of pipe smokers worldwide. Also makes a good blending tobacco for cigars and cigarettes.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA68 Frog Eye Orinoco
Frog Eye Orinoco is one of several varieties derived in part from the original Virginia Orinoco. While it makes a good cigarette blend and cigar filler, our customers tell us that it makes an excellent pipe tobacco, and seems best suited for this purpose.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA41 Havana 503B
One of the most popular cigar varieties for home growers. An excellent pipe tobacco, it also makes a good chewing tobacco. Will grow 6-7 ft. tall. Cured leaves have a reddish to light brown color. Cured leaves have a silky texture like long rye that makes a good covering for cigars. Has a pleasant, mild aroma and taste much preferred for cigars.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA63 Wisconsin Seedleaf
A lot of growers use this for a cigar binder, which it is excellent for, but several of my pipe smoking growers tell me that a blend of Wisconsin Seedleaf and Havana 503 makes for a smooth, delightful pipe tobacco that is easily flavored with food flavorings. Plant grows about 5 feet tall with broad leaves.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

Tobacco varieties best suited for making Snuff

TA71 DF911 Dark
DF911 is a high yielding tobacco with a dark leaf. This dark tobacco produces a good yield of high snuff or cutting tobacco.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA28 Small Stalk Black Mammoth
This is a deep dark tobacco that gives good weight and supports itself very well. This is a tobacco prized by specialty growers because it provides a great wrapper tobacco or a premium snuff tobacco when ripe. A good tobacco for beginners learning to roll their own cigars or for first time snuff makers.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

Ornamental varieties that can be grown as flower garden plant or used as filler/bending for cigars and cigarettes.

TA204 Midewivan Sacred
A native form of N. rustica that is used by Native American Indians in ceremonies and for smoking purposes. A rather strong tobacco compared to commercial types. A fast grower and decorative plant.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA06 Tree Tobacco ( Glauca )
A graceful tree that grows to 20 ft. with bright trumpet-shaped yellow flowers and striking glaucous-blue foliage. From Argentina. It makes a wonderful tub plant. Can be grown outdoors in warm climates and makes a striking garden specimen. It is highly valued for its chewing, smoking and medicinal uses. It is said to have only trace nicotine. Hardy to 15 degrees. It will flower when very young.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA12 Argentina Tobacco ( Sylvestris )
A vigorous perennial growing to 5 ft. with large 20" basal leaves and sweet scented drooping flowers. Try growing this tobacco for mixing purposes. Its slightly different flavor will blend well with cigarette tobaccos. A very attractive plant that should be planted in every flower garden..
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

Oriental Varieties

TA55 Black Sea Samsun Turkish
This Turkish tobacco is among the best money can buy. Originating in the Samsun region of Turkey, along the Black Sea, this tobacco is renowned for its unique rich flavor. This plant has smaller leaves than other strains, but a very distinctive aroma. An excellent Turkish blend or unique by itself.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA07 Hungarian "Szamosi" Dark Tobacco
A very popular Hungarian tobacco with full rich flavor. The lower 5-6 leaves are used for cigars or pipe tobacco and the upper leaves are used for medium flavored cigarettes or for pipe tobacco. The huge leaves can be up to 24-30" long and 16" wide. A heavy producer.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA18 Iranian Tobacco
A nice strain of tobacco from the Middle East that is different than others. It is said to make a good filler and pipe tobacco. Grows 4-6 ft. with foot long dark leaves. .
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

Tobaccos with high nicotine content for making pesticides and tobacco dust.

TA04 Mountain Tobacco ( Nicotinia var. )
A graceful and ornamental species, small plants grow only 2-3 tall with yellow or green flowers. Has a very high nicotine content. A very popular tobacco with the Navajo Indians. It is an all purpose plant. I recommend using it as an ornamental, filler and pesticide base and for making tobacco dust for the garden .
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA10 Indian Tobacco ( Rustica )
A half hardy annual that grows to about 3 ft. and is cultivated worldwide for smoking and nicotine production. Has many green to yellow flowers that remain open during the day. It is so potent that it has been used as an arrow poison in Mexico. Can be raised as far north as Maine.
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds

TA67 Commercial Hybrid Blend:
$2.20 per pack 40-50 seeds
$24.95 per pack bulk pack of 1,000 plus seeds