Does anybody grow ______?

[fineexampl]

Thought some people might need a place (okay, i needed one) where they can ask stupid questions about any kind of plant and feel no shame.


Does anybody grow blueberries? I thought it'd be cool to grow a blueberry bush. They grow wild all over NJ, so i know we have a good climate for them. Any knowledge or advice about them??

I saw someone is growing tobacco?? How and where would you get those seeds?? Is it hard to grow? Does it smell bad?

Anyone grow figs?? How hard is it? Do you have alot of wasp larvae issues?

INQUIRING EXAMPLS WANT TO KNOW!!

 

[klyth]

I grow blueberries. I have 4 bushes, 1 male and 3 female. I don't know if that's a good ratio to have, but it seems to work for us. The biggest thing is keeping the birds away - they'll eat all the blueberries before they're ripe.

They're really really low maintenance. I never water them - just let nature do it's thing.

 

[fineexampl]

I grow blueberries. I have 4 bushes, 1 male and 3 female. I don't know if that's a good ratio to have, but it seems to work for us. The biggest thing is keeping the birds away - they'll eat all the blueberries before they're ripe.

They're really really low maintenance. I never water them - just let nature do it's thing.

Sounds like i'd need at least 2 than huh? 1 male, 1 female? They seem like tough plants. How big do they get?

 

[Omri]

Growing figs is the easiest thing one can do. you just plant the little seedling with some compost at the bottom and let it be. the only problem is the adult plant attracts fruit bats. damn bats...

 

[klyth]

Sounds like i'd need at least 2 than huh? 1 male, 1 female? They seem like tough plants. How big do they get?

Yes, you need a male and a female if you want fruit to set, and the male will not fruit at all. If you want 2 bushes to set fruit, you need 2 female and 1 male. One blueberry bush doesn't produce a LOT of blueberries - unless it's very well maintained or very prolific. You'd probably want at least 2 female.

Mine are about waist high, but it was neglected for years before we bought the property. I'm trying to be better about it, and we'll see how big they get - but they don't seem to grow much. And they require seasonal trimming of the dead branches.

I'll take some pictures maybe tonight.

 

[Sickmont]

Tobacco's pretty easy to grow. As for how to get seeds and such, i'm not sure but i do have a buddy in Wilson, NC whos a 'terbacky' farmer and whos given me seedlings in the past.

 

[rainbowberry]

And what about Blueberries? Can you grow these from seed easily?

 

[wordwiz]

Tobacco is very easy to grow - we use to raise acres of it! You start with a seed (or a young plant if you know someone who has any) and plant it in the ground so only the leaves are showing - no stem. Don't need much maintenance after that, except maybe pull up any weeds that grow around it. When it blooms, break the bloom out. In a week or two, suckers will form, break those off also. After about three weeks or so, the leaves will turn yellow, that's when it is time to cut, using a tomahawk or such. Cut it off just below the bottom-most leaf. You can then hang it to dry, either by spearing it about seven inches from the bottom or tie a string around it. When the leaves are completely dried out, wait for a rain (or very heavy fog) so it "comes in case," that is, you can grab it without it breaking apart. Remove the leaves from the stalk (stalks make excellent fertilizer, BTW) and then wrap a rubber band around the stems or use a tobacco leaf to wrap them with.

A barn full of tobacco curing smells great (I suppose - I always loved the smell) unless it starts rotting due to too much moisture for days in a row, then it can burn the crap out of eyes and throat.

I have seen a guy smoke the leaves but from what I understand, it is very strong. Cigarettes and cigars are usually made from tobacco that has been stored for a few years. Different types and amounts of leaves are blended together.

Supposedly, an ounce of tobacco can make 40 cigarettes. A good stalk of tobacco (burley) usually produces 5-6 ounces of dried leaves.

Mike

 

[Sickmont]

Tobacco is very easy to grow - we use to raise acres of it! You start with a seed (or a young plant if you know someone who has any) and plant it in the ground so only the leaves are showing - no stem. Don't need much maintenance after that, except maybe pull up any weeds that grow around it. When it blooms, break the bloom out. In a week or two, suckers will form, break those off also. After about three weeks or so, the leaves will turn yellow, that's when it is time to cut, using a tomahawk or such. Cut it off just below the bottom-most leaf. You can then hang it to dry, either by spearing it about seven inches from the bottom or tie a string around it. When the leaves are completely dried out, wait for a rain (or very heavy fog) so it "comes in case," that is, you can grab it without it breaking apart. Remove the leaves from the stalk (stalks make excellent fertilizer, BTW) and then wrap a rubber band around the stems or use a tobacco leaf to wrap them with.

A barn full of tobacco curing smells great (I suppose - I always loved the smell) unless it starts rotting due to too much moisture for days in a row, then it can burn the crap out of eyes and throat.

I have seen a guy smoke the leaves but from what I understand, it is very strong. Cigarettes and cigars are usually made from tobacco that has been stored for a few years. Different types and amounts of leaves are blended together.

Supposedly, an ounce of tobacco can make 40 cigarettes. A good stalk of tobacco (burley) usually produces 5-6 ounces of dried leaves.

Mike

When i was living in NC we used to dare each to go rub the leaves on the plant....the first(and only) time i did it(just like a dumbass) i got so light-headed from the pure nicotine going through my skin i started to hallucinate and couldnt walk for like a half an hour

 

[klyth]

And what about Blueberries? Can you grow these from seed easily?

I'm not sure, but I don't know that I'd try. They seem to grow slowly, and you can purchase small plants for just a couple dollars.

 

[fineexampl]

Tobacco is very easy to grow - we use to raise acres of it! You start with a seed (or a young plant if you know someone who has any) and plant it in the ground so only the leaves are showing - no stem. Don't need much maintenance after that, except maybe pull up any weeds that grow around it. When it blooms, break the bloom out. In a week or two, suckers will form, break those off also. After about three weeks or so, the leaves will turn yellow, that's when it is time to cut, using a tomahawk or such. Cut it off just below the bottom-most leaf. You can then hang it to dry, either by spearing it about seven inches from the bottom or tie a string around it. When the leaves are completely dried out, wait for a rain (or very heavy fog) so it "comes in case," that is, you can grab it without it breaking apart. Remove the leaves from the stalk (stalks make excellent fertilizer, BTW) and then wrap a rubber band around the stems or use a tobacco leaf to wrap them with.

A barn full of tobacco curing smells great (I suppose - I always loved the smell) unless it starts rotting due to too much moisture for days in a row, then it can burn the crap out of eyes and throat.

I have seen a guy smoke the leaves but from what I understand, it is very strong. Cigarettes and cigars are usually made from tobacco that has been stored for a few years. Different types and amounts of leaves are blended together.

Supposedly, an ounce of tobacco can make 40 cigarettes. A good stalk of tobacco (burley) usually produces 5-6 ounces of dried leaves.

Mike

Sounds like a fun plant to grow if you ask me. Too bad (or good thing) i gave up smoking.

 

[fineexampl]

Yes, you need a male and a female if you want fruit to set, and the male will not fruit at all. If you want 2 bushes to set fruit, you need 2 female and 1 male. One blueberry bush doesn't produce a LOT of blueberries - unless it's very well maintained or very prolific. You'd probably want at least 2 female.

Mine are about waist high, but it was neglected for years before we bought the property. I'm trying to be better about it, and we'll see how big they get - but they don't seem to grow much. And they require seasonal trimming of the dead branches.

I'll take some pictures maybe tonight.

i'm totally hijacking someone's yard to plant blueberries.

 

[fineexampl]

Growing figs is the easiest thing one can do. you just plant the little seedling with some compost at the bottom and let it be. the only problem is the adult plant attracts fruit bats. damn bats...

How about grown in a container? The big nursery by me had tons of em potted and already bearing figs.

 

[Omri]

How about grown in a container? The big nursery by me had tons of em potted and already bearing figs.

I don't know, they usually get pretty damn big. the containers, not matter how large, would limit the root mass and by doing that the growth. if you want a lot of them, just plant one in the yard.
They'll survive freezing and recover when it gets hotter.

 

[wordwiz]

When i was living in NC we used to dare each to go rub the leaves on the plant....the first(and only) time i did it(just like a dumbass) i got so light-headed from the pure nicotine going through my skin i started to hallucinate and couldnt walk for like a half an hour

I don't know about flue cured (a different type than burley) but there ain't no way on earth that happens with burley. Trust me, when I was young, we had to sucker tobacco. That meant going up and down the upper two feet of the stalk and plucking the sprouts that grew where the leaves and stalk meet. Our arms would be covered in tobacco "gum" which would come fropm the leaves. But get high - never!

Also, when housing tobacco in a barn, it is passed up several levels high - sometimes up to seven levels. And when we hung it, the stalks had to be spread about on the stick, so they would dry better. The stalks often got drug across the arms, face, hair, legs, back - you name it. It was really hard, sweaty work inside a barn that after a while had no air moving in it. But we loved it. The idea was to see how many sticks one could cut in a day (one puts either five very big stalks or seven small ones per stick) or how many sticks one could hang in a day. Imagine standing on two 3"x3" boards, usually about 30-32 inches apart, bending down to grab a stick of tobacco that weights 15-2o pounds, and passing it up to a guy whose feet are four feet above you. And doing that 1500-2000 times a day! Or bending over and chopping off 5,000 stalks a day (Okay, I admit I've cut 1,000 sticks a day only twice in my life - it is extremely hard to do.)

Mike

 

[Sickmont]

I don't know about flue cured (a different type than burley) but there ain't no way on earth that happens with burley. Trust me, when I was young, we had to sucker tobacco. That meant going up and down the upper two feet of the stalk and plucking the sprouts that grew where the leaves and stalk meet. Our arms would be covered in tobacco "gum" which would come fropm the leaves. But get high - never!

Also, when housing tobacco in a barn, it is passed up several levels high - sometimes up to seven levels. And when we hung it, the stalks had to be spread about on the stick, so they would dry better. The stalks often got drug across the arms, face, hair, legs, back - you name it. It was really hard, sweaty work inside a barn that after a while had no air moving in it. But we loved it. The idea was to see how many sticks one could cut in a day (one puts either five very big stalks or seven small ones per stick) or how many sticks one could hang in a day. Imagine standing on two 3"x3" boards, usually about 30-32 inches apart, bending down to grab a stick of tobacco that weights 15-2o pounds, and passing it up to a guy whose feet are four feet above you. And doing that 1500-2000 times a day! Or bending over and chopping off 5,000 stalks a day (Okay, I admit I've cut 1,000 sticks a day only twice in my life - it is extremely hard to do.)

Mike

Not sure exactly what type he grows, i just knew it was pretty potent. All his field hands used to wear long pants and long sleeves(even in the middle of summer) because of it.

 

[imaguitargod]

Yep, that's me that's growing tobacco as well. Easy to get seeds online and tricky to start sometimes....but generally a easy grow.

 

[Pepperfreak]

I don't know, they usually get pretty damn big. the containers, not matter how large, would limit the root mass and by doing that the growth. if you want a lot of them, just plant one in the yard.
They'll survive freezing and recover when it gets hotter.

I agree. My grandparents had a couple of fig trees and they were like 15 feet tall, a real size tree. We needed a ladder to pick them, but it was worth it, nothing tastes better than fresh figs.

 

[rabbit]

Whenever it is that I get a yard in my massive garden I plan on having blueberries, and strawberries.They were already on my mind. I pick the wild ones around here. (Strawberries and blueberries.) However, it would be cool and convenient to know you can pick a bunch out of your yard. Yeah, I want apple, pear, and cherry trees as well.

 

[Omri]

I agree. My grandparents had a couple of fig trees and they were like 15 feet tall, a real size tree. We needed a ladder to pick them, but it was worth it, nothing tastes better than fresh figs.

The largest one I've seen was about 7.5 meters (24.6 feet), and according to some people I know, they even get to 10 meters (32.8 feet). so yeah... they get pretty big.
mmmm... fresh figs! do you know what's even better? fig jam!