Tobacco Seeds
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?
$24.50 per .625cc pack of seeds ( over 1,000 seeds ) SRP
We offer the following selections of Nicotiana:
Note: Each pack of seeds will produce at least 25 healthy plants, often, many more than this.
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.
Suggested Retail Price ( SRP ) per pack of seeds is $2.20
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.
TA110 Greenwood Dark
Medium, smooth leaf, cures to a dark brown with fine chewing tobacco flavor. High yields.
TA111 Little Crittenden
An old Kentucky heirloom for making old fashioned chewing tobacco. Good yield and cures well.
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.
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. Seed Stock grown in Wisconsin.
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 pink/red/white tinged flowers depending on soil makeup. One of the most widely grown cultivated tobaccos. Has limited disease
resistance.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TA09 Perique Tobacco
Rare and famous Louisiana tobacco known for it's dark, black color and unique flavor. 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, and a taste of pepper and figs. Its flavor is very strong, so it isn't usually found in high percentages in a blend. 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.
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.
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.
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.
TA65 Zimmerman Spanish
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
TA24 Madole
A fine commercial variety that is fast growing and hardy. I recommend growing this one if you smoke cigars.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. .
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.
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.
TA115 Punche
From northern New Mexico, it was used by early Spanish settlers until the 1930's. Good blending tobacco for pipes, cigars, and chewing.
Commercial Hybrid Cigarette Blend
Now you can grow the same tobacco as the commercial farmers raise for the giant cigarette companies. Each variety below imparts it' own distinctive flavor for cigarette blends. This blend includes:
Kentucky 8959
Developed by the University of Kentucky and released in 1993. A commercial brand of burley tobacco grown by tobacco farmers for the cigarette and chewing tobacco industry. Has it's own unique flavor and traits. It is a high yielding variety with wide leaves. Resistant to tobacco etch virus and tobacco vein mottling.
NC 2
A fine burley developed by North Carolina State University. A commercial brand of burley tobacco grown by tobacco farmers for the cigarette and chewing tobacco industry. Has it's own unique flavor and traits.
VA509
A large burley good for cigarette blends. Good disease resistance and heavy yielder. Adds it's own character to blend flavor.
NC BH129
A high yielding burley with uniform growth and widely adaptable to many different areas. A good commercial strain.
KY 17
Another good commercial burley blend with good disease resistance. Does not tolerate dry weather as well as other varieties, but this shouldn't be a problem in garden settings.
Another good commercial burley blend with good disease resistance. Does not tolerate dry weather as well as other varieties, but this shouldn't be a problem in garden settings.
Excellent flavor.
MS 21 X KY 14 ( Hybrid )
A widely grown commercial crop with high yields and good flavor for cigarettes and cigar filler.
$2.20 per pack SRP
BOOK TA80: Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home