Planting My Own Tobacco: The Transplant

The hundreds of ground-black-pepper-sized seeds grew into hundreds of tiny tobacco sprouts. Eventually, when they were all about a centimeter tall, Amy moved them over into individual trays. Since there were so many in a small space and since they were so small, it was a fairly tedious process. She used a plastic fork to help break up the dirt around the roots and to scoop each plant out without damaging it.

The plants did not require much sun to sprout - only soil that is always moist - however, once placed in individual trays they need a nice sunny window sill to grow. I placed all of the plants on a tray and would pour water into the bottom of the tray each day.

They are tough plants and don't need the amount of attention and care that I have given them. You can pretty much water them and forget about them. Once they are about 4 inches tall, they are ready to move outside. I made sure to dig a pretty deep hole. I filled it back in with dirt to make sure the roots would be able to spread out more easily.  It is recommended that you leave about 2 feet of space between the plants. Once they are in the ground, just make sure they get sufficient water and give them some plant food. They should take off.

I believe field mice have been nibbling on my plants during the night, but they haven't caused any major damage. Only the leaves that are laying on the ground get messed with. Other than that, bright leaf Virginia is a darn tough plant and thrives in harsh soil, so I'm sure it will do quite well the rich soil around my house.