Sunday, August 22, 2010

If your not from around here then you probable have not seen tobacco growing in the fields. Well I was born and raised in Missouri and all I had been around was mostly corn and beans. They plant the tobacco up on raised rows so that the soil can drain. I saw this field being planted this past spring on my way to work. It's not planted for seed but from little seedlings. I sure didn't know this. I thought it was from seed like corn and beans. I noticed when driving around the country side how pretty the little tobacco fields looked. Well not pretty to some folk but the farmer daughter inside me notices these things. Ha ha Mostly they are very clean and weed free. The soil looks very sandy. It looks like a good place for some young kids to be playing. I remember playing in my grandmothers garden. She would be weeding and I would be making roads in the fine powered dirt. Hey don't laugh. There wasn't lots to do as a kid at the grandparent's house.
Notice how the bottom leaves are gone. They "pull" the bottom leaves to harvest. About every couple of weeks or so until there is just a skinny stalk left. I will have to show you more pictures as the harvest goes along. I think this is so cool! I know, I'm nuts.

5 comments:

Bonnie said...

It is interesting how they harvest from the bottom. I have never heard of that. I think I just learned that tobacco was grown here in the U.S. For some reason I pictured it being grown in hot, tropical regions.

Peggy said...

I was told that tobacco in Kentucky is harvested all at one because it's a bushier plant. I'll be posting more at a later time.

Window On The Prairie said...

I'm from Missouri too, and the only tobacco I ever saw there was down in the river bottoms around Glasgow. I believe it was a big crop around the Missouri river valley there years ago.
Suzanne

Anonymous said...

I'm having some ambivalent feelings about that tobacco. 16 days without a cig now, and I think that tobacco looks wonderful. It's a good thing I'm not there. I just might try to dry it out, roll it up and smoke it. lol. On the other hand, it's my addiction enemy. Is there any other use for tobacco besides smoking it? I live in Missouri so I guess I'll just light me up a cob of corn. lol. Hugs.

Jessica @ Simply A Farmer's Wife said...
This comment has been removed by the author.