Anyone grow tobacco? | Food Production and Preservation | Forums

i looked into it a little last year. i even bought seeds from ebay, but didn't plant this year. i was trying to educate myself on proper curing techniques and just never took the plunge. maybe next year.

you don't need a federal permit or license to grow for personal use. some states have old laws dealing with allotments-those are in the southeast, tennessee and kentucky.

if you plan on selling or bartering, that's a whole other monster. it appears that there are no regulations on unprocessed tobacco. even cigarettes arent considered processed even then, aren't taxed up to a certain volume. until you package the tobacco for sale, the federal gov't isn't too interested. this is what the BATF says...

"The Tax and Trade Bureau does not license, or require a permit for, growing tobacco. In addition, the Tax and Trade Bureau does not regulate the sale of tobaccos that are not tobacco products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture may regulate the growing and sale of such tobacco. You may contact this department at their web site at http://www.usda.gov."

the usda site is really no help. most of its info relates to existing commercial growers. state agricultural agencies are another story. i looked on some tobacco growers sites and they say it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. most people would just look at the plants and say "ohhhh, pretty flowers."

as far as not being able to grow tobacco in community gardens, tobacco is notorious for carrying the mosaic virus which will infect all other solinacae family members-tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, and some cucumbers. it doesn't kill the plant but it stunts leaf growth and affects yields. i've even read on some gardening sites not to handle tobacco in the garden (chewing) and if you do, wash your hands.