Burley 21 Tobacco is a trusted heirloom cultivar of Nicotiana tabacum that delivers reliable, heavy-leafed plants standing 36 to 60 inches tall. This open-pollinated variety reaches harvest readiness in approximately 65 days from transplant, thriving in full sun across containers, raised beds, garden plots, and field settings. Burley 21 is prized by home growers for its consistent performance and smooth-curing leaves, demanding minimal fuss from seed to finished product.
Full Sun
Moderate
10-11
60in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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Burley 21 earns its reputation through heavy leaf production and reliable performance. Home growers return to this heirloom year after year because it delivers large, densely formed leaves that cure smoothly without elaborate intervention. Deer resistant and adaptable to diverse growing environments, it combines proven resilience with the ease of an open-pollinated variety that gardeners can save and replant.
Burley 21 is grown primarily for tobacco leaf production. The large, heavy leaves cure and finish into usable tobacco product, making this variety valuable for home cultivation and small-scale tobacco farming.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Burley 21 seeds are fine and should be started on moist seed-starting mix kept consistently warm. Seedlings typically transplant to the garden when they reach 4 to 6 inches tall and have developed their first true leaves.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date, when soil has warmed and nighttime temperatures remain above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 24 inches apart in rows set 36 inches apart. Harden off seedlings gradually over 7 to 10 days before moving them permanently to the garden.
Burley 21 reaches harvest readiness approximately 65 days from transplant. Harvest leaves individually as they mature, working from the bottom of the plant upward. Mature leaves display a lighter, more yellowish tone and feel papery to the touch rather than succulent. Pick leaves on a dry morning after dew has evaporated. The curing process begins immediately after harvest; hang leaves in a well-ventilated, warm space out of direct sunlight where they will gradually lose moisture over several weeks.
Burley 21 grows in an upright habit reaching 36 to 60 inches tall. Remove lower leaves as the plant matures to improve air circulation and reduce disease pressure, particularly in humid growing conditions. Pinch off flower shoots if they develop; removing these terminal flowers encourages the plant to direct energy into leaf production rather than seed development.
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“Burley 21 represents the Burley tobacco lineage, a family of cultivars developed and refined for consistent leaf quality and curability. This heirloom open-pollinated variety has become cherished among home growers precisely because it performs reliably without requiring hybrid vigor or intensive intervention. It carries forward the agricultural knowledge of growers who selected and preserved Burley genetics for their steady productivity and smooth-curing characteristics.”