CONNECTICUT SHADE LEAF TOBACCO

I have vivid memories as a college student of driving from Providence to New York and encountering hundreds of gauze tents in the Connecticut River Valley. These were the growing environment for this legendary tobacco. While the seed originated in Cuba, this variety grows best in the temperate climate of this section of Connecticut. The delicate, thin, deeply veined leaves are used as a wrapper for such famed cigar brands: Macanudo, Davidoff, and Monte Cristo. The tiny seeds are packaged in airtight bags and while the guaranteed minimum is 50 seeds, most packets contain well over a hundred. The seeds should be started indoors quite early in the spring and transplanted in the same way as eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Plants can grow to over 5 feet so each plant merits a couple square feet of space.