Unusual Vegetable Plants |
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Tobacco - Nicotiana Tobacum Surprisingly, tobacco is closely related to Tomatoes and Potatoes as they are all members of the Solanaceae family. Of course tobacco isn't a vegetable, but in olden days the leaves were processed to make chewing tobacco as an early alternative to smoking it in the form of cigarettes or cigars. From a health point of view it is not the Nicotine in tobacco that is the real problem, (although it is said to be addictive) it is smoking it and the damage this does to the lungs in one way or another. If this is true, then those that crave their nicotine buzz might consider growing their own and going back to chewing it. What the various government departments would say about growing your own tobacco I don't know, but it is wholly practical because there are family tales about how my Grandfather used to grow all his own tobacco here in the U.K. both before the Second World War and for years afterwards. Cultivation is very straightforward from seed and really just the same as for tomatoes. However, you will certainly have difficulty obtaining seeds of Nicotiana Tobacum and do not be confused by the closely related Nicotiana that is grown as a bedding plant. Seeds need to be raised indoors, as do the plants, or young plants can be transplanted outside in a sheltered, warm position, after all risk of frosts has finished in the Spring. Plants will reach 4 - 6 feet in height and any developing flowers removed as should the side shoots. Leaves can be harvested from August onwards. Processing the resulting tobacco leaves is no simple affair as they need to be air cured, fermented in kilns and even flavoured with a sauce before being pressed.
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