My window, balcony and garden: 2025

[Pj654]

Damn mother earth gone and f***ed you right over this year huh

 

[johnny108]

Damn mother earth gone and f***ed you right over this year huh

The last 2 weeks+ has been rain every other day (burning the rusticas leaves), but it kept the humidity high. So I decided to stalk sun cure some of the better Trabzon-2 I had in the field.
After I cut and hung them, the weeks forecast changed from rain, and low 70’s temps to full sun, high 80’sF and humidity dropping from 75% to an average for the week of 45%.
This has inspired my name for my new garden, as every time I walk through it, I feel like a single man attempting to tame a hostile wilderness that does everything it can to prevent anything productive from happening…..

 

[Pj654]

The last 2 weeks+ has been rain every other day (burning the rusticas leaves), but it kept the humidity high. So I decided to stalk sun cure some of the better Trabzon-2 I had in the field.
After I cut and hung them, the weeks forecast changed from rain, and low 70’s temps to full sun, high 80’sF and humidity dropping from 75% to an average for the week of 45%.
This has inspired my name for my new garden, as every time I walk through it, I feel like a single man attempting to tame a hostile wilderness that does everything it can to prevent anything productive from happening…..
View attachment 57047

Damn :/

 

[Anders A]

The last 2 weeks+ has been rain every other day (burning the rusticas leaves), but it kept the humidity high. So I decided to stalk sun cure some of the better Trabzon-2 I had in the field.
After I cut and hung them, the weeks forecast changed from rain, and low 70’s temps to full sun, high 80’sF and humidity dropping from 75% to an average for the week of 45%.
This has inspired my name for my new garden, as every time I walk through it, I feel like a single man attempting to tame a hostile wilderness that does everything it can to prevent anything productive from happening…..
View attachment 57047

Next year can only be better

 

[johnny108]

Despite the low humidity, the sun-stalk curing is working great for overripe, diseased Trabzon-2.

 

[johnny108]

Just harvested the rusticas.
Just got the late patch of Yellow-109 (waiting another 30-45 days), and the few Vallejano and Small Stalk Black Mammoth that got planted out.

 

[Pj654]

Wow those look great !

 

[johnny108]

Topped on June 22, a few lugs were primed, and one plant was box cured.
The last four have been stalk cut to sun cure, today. It worked for the Trabzon-2….

 

[Anders A]

Topped on June 22, a few lugs were primed, and one plant was box cured.
The last four have been stalk cut to sun cure, today. It worked for the Trabzon-2….
View attachment 57158

View attachment 57159

Looks real good.

 

[johnny108]

My collection of Oriental varieties were causing “access” problems to the laundry racks on the balcony. So, I strung a wire across the hanging planter hooks, and bought some wire coat hangers.
There is a label at the apex where the wire twists together, and the small sections of whole plants stalk curing are the tops of the Canik I have been priming as the leaves fully yellowed.

 

[johnny108]

Harvest time for big pot Virginia Gold.
Think it’s ripe?

 

[JukkaPekka]

Your virginia gold looks ready for harvesting compared to my virginia which stayd dark green all the time.

 

[johnny108]

Finally.
The final patch of Yellow-109 was harvested (day 46 after topping).
Took a bit of work to get them from the garden to the cellar to stalk cure, but I got them there. Got stared at by everyone who passed…

 

[Knucklehead]

Got stared at by everyone who passed…

They were curious how you fertilize your collard greens.

 

[johnny108]

They were curious how you fertilize your collard greens.

Since I started growing, people in my neighborhood have asked me about my “banana tree” and asked about what type of cabbage is in my windowsills. The garden house gets at least one lady per weekend asking at the gate what the huge plants with big, pretty leaves were, and what kind of fruit/veggies we are getting from them…
They are impressed that tobacco can be grown here, and more surprised to learn that I don’t smoke. Oral tobacco is illegal in Germany, so they don’t realize that it can be home made.
I tell them I grow the dark tobacco to chew on (“like a cowboy?” is the usual response),
And I grow the orientals out of historical interest, and for giving away.
When they ask why I got interested in doing it (“Did I do this in America?” Nope.), my answer of “für das Wissen”- “for the knowledge” seems to confuse them.

 

[Anders A]

Since I started growing, people in my neighborhood have asked me about my “banana tree” and asked about what type of cabbage is in my windowsills. The garden house gets at least one lady per weekend asking at the gate what the huge plants with big, pretty leaves were, and what kind of fruit/veggies we are getting from them…
They are impressed that tobacco can be grown here, and more surprised to learn that I don’t smoke. Oral tobacco is illegal in Germany, so they don’t realize that it can be home made.
I tell them I grow the dark tobacco to chew on (“like a cowboy?” is the usual response),
And I grow the orientals out of historical interest, and for giving away.
When they ask why I got interested in doing it (“Did I do this in America?” Nope.), my answer of “für das Wissen”- “for the knowledge” seems to confuse them.

Interesting reading
The fact that oral tobacco is banned only applies to sales, because it's not banned to use, is it?

 

[johnny108]

Interesting reading
The fact that oral tobacco is banned only applies to sales, because it's not banned to use, is it?

Nope- use is not banned. I’ve brought back a few cans of American chewing tobacco to Germany, and customs asked about it: personal use was an acceptable answer, and they let me keep it.