Another garden experiment and this one has made my husband very happy!

We all know the tobacco we buy is not just tobacco – even if we don’t know what else is actually in it or how the leaves were grown. I say all this as a non-smoker by the way. In fact, I can’t even remember the conversation which started this experiment but as Hubby won’t quit smoking, it was decided we would try and find the ‘healthier’ way for him to do it!

That led me down the rabbit trail of ‘can you grow your own tobacco’? The answer came back ‘yes’ – well, of course, otherwise how would anyone every grow it. But the big question was more to do with the growing requirements of tobacco plants and could it be done in the North East of Scotland.

Turns out it can – it just needs to be done undercover. Actually I had all our plants outside during the poor summer and most were in pots too small for them but they survived. I’ve since moved them into the new polytunnel.

I discovered tobacco plants need a lot of light and heat – the 2 things we don’t have! But I let them do their thing and some seemed happier than others, till I discovered something else. Slugs and snails love tobacco plants.

At this point, I think it’s worth pointing out that I’ve actually enjoyed just seeing if I can get these plants to grow and I like the look of them. The whole process of harvesting the leaves, letting them de-colour and dry, well that’s just a bonus as far as I’m concerned!

I think it’s a bit like wine making in that the longer you leave it the better it gets and Hubby did try some of the very first batch – as a trial you see – and he was very impressed!

I’m happy there is anything to harvest, especially with the price of tobacco here now. I like the plants and the process of making something, even if the end product isn’t for me!