Nicotiana tabacum: 20 seeds of the tobacco plant
Nicotiana tabacum is the species behind cigarettes, cigars and snuff. In the garden it is mostly an imposing plant: an upright stem carrying large, slightly sticky leaves that grow surprisingly big towards the base, topped by a cluster of pink to pale pink tubular flowers. In one season it usually finishes somewhere between one and two metres, depending on soil, warmth and elbow room.
All parts of the plant contain nicotine. That property has long been put to use beyond smoking: nicotine extracted from the leaves served as an insecticide, and leaf juice was rubbed on the skin to keep insects away. Dried leaves stay usable for that purpose for about six months. The seeds also yield a drying oil. Do keep in mind that nicotine is toxic, so store seeds and harvested leaf out of reach of children and pets.
Sowing and raising
- Sow indoors in seed compost about six weeks before the last night frost.
- Scatter the seeds as evenly as you can over moist compost and press them in only lightly; do not cover them, since the seed needs light to germinate.
- Keep the compost damp by watering from below or misting, at roughly 20 to 24 degrees.
- Germination usually takes seven to fourteen days; give the seedlings plenty of light afterwards or they will stretch.
- Move them outside once they are about fifteen centimetres tall and the soil has warmed up, into a sunny spot with roughly sixty centimetres per plant.
Tobacco wants a rich, free-draining soil and dislikes wet feet. These seeds are meant for cultivation and study, not for consumption.
More exotic seeds at Avalon
The same category holds Hyoscyamus niger (henbane), Lactuca virosa (wild lettuce), Leonotis nepetifolia, Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort) and Nelumbo nucifera (lotus). Every order leaves our warehouse discreetly packed.
