Please help a newbie - unsure of best plan of action with my situation

[vpnisnice]

Hello everyone,

I have watched a few hours of various tobacco curing methods. I have read a few of the key threads about curing. I was hoping to get some tailor-specific advice for my specific situation because of how new I am. Also because of my probably very small leaf yield this year, I would like to avoid mistakes as much as possible so that I have the highest chance of success (this will probably mean one or two cigarettes' worth, I think even IF I avoid as many mistakes as possible). I am sorry for writing so much but I am a little overwhelmed with everything right now and I just want to do this the best I can.

My situation:
- Tobacco plant variety: Canadian Virginia
- Semi-arid location in interior BC ("Zone 6b bordering on 5a"? - self diagnosis)
- First expected frost usually around mid-September
- My plants are fairly behind already (not as tall as they should be etc)
- I will be lucky to get one plant that's around 3 feet high by October and hoping to baby the rest to around that same height before the leaves start to turn (bringing them in at night, having them inside when it gets colder, etc)

My problems/fears:
- Due to my dry climate, I fear I won't be able to colour-cure the leaves very well
- Due to the coldness of my climate, I will probably have to make some sort of fermenting box/kiln
- Due to the small yield I will [hopefully] be getting, I won't be able to try more than 2 or 3 different methods (spreading my possible success even thinner due to potential failures/mistakes)

What I need some help with:

1. Given my dry climate, I don't think I will be able to colour-cure my leaves via the classic hang drying method. What would my best alternative be?

I've seen ideas about piling the leaves under a bunch of towels for a few days and then rearranging them a few times a day and hopefully this will colour cure them. Should I even pay attention to the temperature/humidity of the area if this is to be done?

2. After I [somehow] manage to colour-cure my leaves, what would be the best way to ferment them given my dry environment and relatively cold season approaching?

I've been looking at making a DIY kiln of some sort (insulation box, a rack to lay the leaves on, crock pot for humidity, and a fan to circulate the air), but I'm a little concerned about the temperature aspect of this idea. I haven't seen anything that really implements anything to help regulate the actual temperature inside of the box, and in mid November my area has freezing temperature so I would like to be able to regulate the temperature inside of the box as well as the humidity levels without having to check on everything more than 2-3 times per day (2-3 times per day is acceptable but once every 2 hours is not). Especially considering this entire process with take anywhere between 4-6+ weeks. I will try to build something that I can keep on a shelf in my garage for the winter, it gets to around 2-5°C (35-41°F) in the garage during the depths of the winter so this is a huge factor. Are there any DIY designs in this forum? I've seen a bunch of youtube videos and they all seem to be neglecting the temperature aspect of the equation. I've seen some that use a lightbulb to regulate temperature but it seems a little finicky and unreliable.


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I greatly appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read this all and very much look forward to any advice/tips anyone can give me. Like I said, I've spent quite a lot of time watching videos and reading some posts on this forum but I'm still a little cautious about making any decisions because of how many variables there are and given how small my yield will most likely be - I won't really be able to afford to lose 5 leaves due to poor planning etc.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to any help anyone can provide!!

 

[deluxestogie]

More time reading the forum. Less time watching YouTube.

For color-curing, you can use plastic sheeting to section off a tiny section of a room, to help keep in humidity.

For kilns with temp controls:

China Voodoo's Invertebrate Kiln

I'm using a temperature controller. Temperature is produced by two 40W incandescent bulbs which hang inside an aluminum tube, with forced air provided full time by a 110V fan purchased at princess auto. The tube is bent so it blows air from the bottom to the top. Tobacco is in...

fairtradetobacco.com

Deluxestogie's Endoskeletal Wood Tobacco Kiln / Flue-cure chamber

PART 1 of 4 Endoskeleton. The foam board goes on the outside. Caveat The wood-built kiln discussed here has several advantages over using a dead, upright freezer for a kiln, but will require more work to complete, and will certainly cost more. it weighs significantly less it can be sized to...

fairtradetobacco.com

Knuckleheads Wooden Box Kiln Build

I've been meaning to build a kiln for the past two seasons but have just gotten off my sorry ass and decided to do something about it. (Bob's thread kicked off my thinking seriously about it) First, let me say that the cheapest kiln build is one from a free freezer, as the box itself is the most...

fairtradetobacco.com

And a simple, separate temp controller:

Foolproof Kiln Controller

For wiring-challenged kiln builders BNQ-T9 A number of folks have expressed concern about properly wiring a temp controller for their kiln. While a bit more expensive than a digital controller that you have to wire, this one is foolproof. For controlling a kiln heat source, such as a...

fairtradetobacco.com

These threads are all in the "Curing: other" section of the Index of Key Forum Threads.

As for risk, unwind your stress, assume all of it will be lost to the learning curve, and be delighted with your happy result. Plant earlier and more next year.

Bob

 

[baccy]

Hi, check out last few post in this thread regarding a color curing. https://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/prime-leaves-or-cut-the-whole-stalk.11351/#post-203757

I haven't seen anything that really implements anything to help regulate the actual temperature inside of the box, and in mid November my area has freezing temperature so I would like to be able to regulate the temperature inside of the box

Amazon.ca

I bought the same and will use it for my kiln later.

 

[BrotherJ]

@vpnisnice It sounds like you jumped in without a plan. I do that all the time. It's a great way to learn because you get so many failures to examine. We have several members here who regularly grow tobacco in Canada. Although I've found a lot of useful information on YouTube, it does require several more grains of salt than what you'll find on this forum. If this is an experimental crop for you, go wild. If you want the best odds of getting a usable yield, you should identify now what methods will work best for you in your situation. Lots of people have already done what you're doing and many are willing to share what they've learned.

 

[Radagast]

Definitely peruse the forum, I suppose most everything that actually works ends up here. I do find that it can sometimes be tricky to find exactly what you are looking for. As Bob has shown you, someone will hunt it down if you don't.

 

[vpnisnice]

More time reading the forum. Less time watching YouTube.

For color-curing, you can use plastic sheeting to section off a tiny section of a room, to help keep in humidity.

For kilns with temp controls:

China Voodoo's Invertebrate Kiln

I'm using a temperature controller. Temperature is produced by two 40W incandescent bulbs which hang inside an aluminum tube, with forced air provided full time by a 110V fan purchased at princess auto. The tube is bent so it blows air from the bottom to the top. Tobacco is in...

fairtradetobacco.com

Deluxestogie's Endoskeletal Wood Tobacco Kiln / Flue-cure chamber

PART 1 of 4 Endoskeleton. The foam board goes on the outside. Caveat The wood-built kiln discussed here has several advantages over using a dead, upright freezer for a kiln, but will require more work to complete, and will certainly cost more. it weighs significantly less it can be sized to...

fairtradetobacco.com

Knuckleheads Wooden Box Kiln Build

I've been meaning to build a kiln for the past two seasons but have just gotten off my sorry ass and decided to do something about it. (Bob's thread kicked off my thinking seriously about it) First, let me say that the cheapest kiln build is one from a free freezer, as the box itself is the most...

fairtradetobacco.com

And a simple, separate temp controller:

Foolproof Kiln Controller

For wiring-challenged kiln builders BNQ-T9 A number of folks have expressed concern about properly wiring a temp controller for their kiln. While a bit more expensive than a digital controller that you have to wire, this one is foolproof. For controlling a kiln heat source, such as a...

fairtradetobacco.com

These threads are all in the "Curing: other" section of the Index of Key Forum Threads.

As for risk, unwind your stress, assume all of it will be lost to the learning curve, and be delighted with your happy result. Plant earlier and more next year.

Bob

Amazing thanks! I agree sometimes youtube isn't as good but my sporatic mind likes the visual aspect and sometimes reading can be a chore but there is definitely some good information here.

All of those look great and I will probably make some sort of hybrid model that takes inspiration from all of them. Thanks for the temperature controller, I bought it today. That answers the issues about the kiln/fermenting process, any tips regarding the potential colour-curing problems? I've just pruned a few tiny leaves and am trying to hang dry a few outside and doing the towell method with literally 2 other leaves so I'll see if either method warrants any success these next few days. Obviously it would be nice to be able to pick the leaves off once they have gotten a little brown/yellow already on the stock but we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping to get some grow lights and maybe even a tent type of scenario for the winter so I'm hoping that will help to have a better crop yield next year!