Using a Grape Pergola to Sun Cure in Berkeley?

[MTISEMPTY]

Hi All,
As I mentioned in my introductory post, I'm growing some tobacco in my backyard. A blend of Burley's to air cure for my swedish snus, and some orientals to make shisha for my girlfriend. I'd prefer to sun cure the orientals. I imagine this won't be hard considering Berkeley's climate, which resembles many places on the Aegean. However, I wanted to check in about direct sunlight in such a scenario. The sun here is rather intense in the summer (to say the least), and it can get pretty dry. Do I need to make sure the tobacco is in the shade or near the ground from the start, or can I hang it on a rack in the sun? I saw some forum posts on doing it in Arizona, which is obviously hotter and drier, but would I also need to make a humidity shed? (For the air dried tobacco, I have a small shed with 2 fans and two humidifiers, plus a dehumidier for curing over the winter. It's not closed to the elements, but it gets the job done). The guides here have been so useful for planning this out, but I'm worried about messing it up and losing my crops.

One idea I had: I have a pergola that supports my grapevines (well, the landlord's, but I take care of, harvest, and turn them into jam). Could I hang the primed leaves on the bottom of the pergola? Would the dimpled sun be enough?

I'm attaching a photo of the pergola (the seedlings on the table are a mix of tobacco and tomato, so once I do the mid-summer harvest I have ready to transplant replacements. The joys of a nearly year long growing season!). Also attaching a photo of one of my raised beds rn, where I'm trying a significant modification on three sisters: beans on the outside, tobacco in the center, and then am about to start some mugwort and marigold under the tobacco leaves to repel pests. Will let people know how the trio interact. The tobacco in the bed is 4 meerchinski, with 3 tofta plants and 2 Tennessee Burley (I just ordered fabric to sew cross-pollination prevention bags). They're a little closer together than ideal, but I think I can make it work.

 

[deluxestogie]

I would suggest stalk-harvesting the Orientals, and hanging the stalks on sticks lashed to the sunniest edge of the pergola. The leaves will sun-cure starting from the base of the stalk (which will be at the top, while hanging), progressing toward the top of the stalk. It takes about 3 weeks to complete. As leaves cure (with a fully cured stem), remove those cured leaves daily, and store them in your tobacco shed as they accumulate. If rain threatens when there are any partially cured leaves on the stalks, bring the entire stalks inside, until the rain has passed, then put them back out. Rain on cured or partially cured leaves will dissolve away the nicotine.

Good luck. When I lived in Berkeley (on Parkside Drive), I grew only veggies, but still had problems with the shade of the mature trees.

Bob

 

[MTISEMPTY]

I would suggest stalk-harvesting the Orientals, and hanging the stalks on sticks lashed to the sunniest edge of the pergola. The leaves will sun-cure starting from the base of the stalk (which will be at the top, while hanging), progressing toward the top of the stalk. It takes about 3 weeks to complete. As leaves cure (with a fully cured stem), remove those cured leaves daily, and store them in your tobacco shed as they accumulate. If rain threatens when there are any partially cured leaves on the stalks, bring the entire stalks inside, until the rain has passed, then put them back out. Rain on cured or partially cured leaves will dissolve away the nicotine.

Good luck. When I lived in Berkeley (on Parkside Drive), I grew only veggies, but still had problems with the shade of the mature trees.

Bob

Thank you so much!
For stalk harvesting, do I take out the stalk when the bottom leaves are ready to be cured, or only once the entire plant is?
And yes, the trees make it difficult; luckily I live on the border with Oakland, where it's a little bit less green.

 

[deluxestogie]

I usually stalk-cut when the top leaves begin to show signs of maturation. If necessary, I prime some of the lowest leaf earlier, to prevent fully ripe leaf from being ripped and torn by winds.

Bob

 

[MTISEMPTY]

I would suggest stalk-harvesting the Orientals, and hanging the stalks on sticks lashed to the sunniest edge of the pergola. The leaves will sun-cure starting from the base of the stalk (which will be at the top, while hanging), progressing toward the top of the stalk. It takes about 3 weeks to complete. As leaves cure (with a fully cured stem), remove those cured leaves daily, and store them in your tobacco shed as they accumulate. If rain threatens when there are any partially cured leaves on the stalks, bring the entire stalks inside, until the rain has passed, then put them back out. Rain on cured or partially cured leaves will dissolve away the nicotine.

Good luck. When I lived in Berkeley (on Parkside Drive), I grew only veggies, but still had problems with the shade of the mature trees.

Bob

The first one is up (the other large oriental I'm collecting seeds from, so it will be hung once that's ready)! Thank you for the advice. Lat question, is this too far off the ground, I saw keeping it near the ground will help prevent green mottling, but I'm worried hanging it too low will cause issues with the set up.

 

[Juxtaposer-]

You could extend poles out from the pergola so that you would get more sun.