Soap doesn’t have huge taxes on it (which, if this goes anywhere near being like tobacco, which the general consensus is that it would, there would be a huge tax on it).
A pack of cigarettes contains about 0.7 ounces of tobacco, and sells for $5 (about $7.14 per ounce). On the other hand, unprocessed marijuana costs almost thirty times as much as processed and rolled tobacco, about $200 per ounce.
Even with high taxes, I wouldn’t expect legal marijuana to cost more than $20 an ounce, and I suspect anyone who’s used to paying black market prices would much rather buy it for $20/ounce than go to the extra effort of growing it.
Speaking as the fourth generation of a family of tobacco farmers, I hope I can shed some light on the tobacco growing process. (This is a general guide, specifics depend on the variety of tobacco you are growing: burley, dark-fired, or flue-cured.)
-
Seeds are planted in float trays to germinate in a greenhouse. When the plants reach about 4-6 inches in height, they will be topped and are ready for transplantation.
-
The plants are removed from the trays and put into the field. This is usually done through the use of a tractor-pulled transplanter, on which people ride, removing the plants from the trays and putting them into the “paddles” to actually plant the seedlings.
-
After transplanting or “setting”, the plants will grow quickly if enough water is available. Weeds must be manually controlled, as broadleaf herbicides cannot be used. Insecticides and other chemicals can be sprayed on while the plants are small, but as they age application becomes difficult.
-
As the plants approach maturity, they will begin to flower. These blooms must be removed. After removal, “suckers” will appear as the plant tries to compensate for the loss of the bloom. These can be controlled by removal and application of a sucker control agent like Offshoot-T.
-
About a month after topping, the plants will be ready for harvest. Typically, the plants are cut, and allowed to wilt. This prepares them for “spiking”, where a metal spike is placed over a wooden stick. 6 plants are placed on each stick, and the sticks are placed on wagons for transport.
-
(This is where various methods really start to appear, so I’m going to speak from personal experience.) Burley tobacco is air-cured, typically in barns. Each barn has several “tiers”, or levels. Sticks are placed between beams running across the barn on each tier, and remain in the barn for several months. When the tobacco takes on a brownish tint, the sticks are removed from the barn. The plants are taken off the sticks, and the leaves are removed from the stalks. The leaves are graded according to quality, and are normally sold at a warehouse auction. Unbought tobacco goes into the “pool”, and the U.S. government pays the minimum price for it. Dark-fired tobacco can also be air-cured, in much the same method.
6a. Dark-fired tobacco, as the name implies, is cured using fire. The sticks are hung in a tightly sealed barn, and wood slabs and sawdust are left smoldering on the barn floor. The smoke has only a small vent to exit, so it hangs in the barn and cures the tobacco. Dark-fired tobacco, when ready for stripping, has a dark brown color. It is sold in auctions like the other types of tobacco.
That’s where my knowledge drops out, as I don’t live in NC, where flue-cured is common. As for growing it in the backyard, only if you live in a tobacco-producing area where the necessary supplies are available. It’s a common 4H project for young kids on tobacco farms, but they have the advantage of an experienced producer to guide them. If you have questions, feel free to email me.
-brianjedi
You can buy tomatoes cheap and conveniently at a market but some people still like the satisfaction of cooking with produce they grow themselves. And, pot is quite easy to grow. The plant is very resilient, even if you don’t give it the attention it needs chances are you’ll still get a reasonable harvest of ditch weed. People plant seeds in secluded spots all the time and leave them to nature for a month and a half. I’ve seen potheads and junkies who couldn’t handle the responsibilities at Wal-Mart pull it off. Anyone with even a modicum of gardening skills could grow some very fine bud.