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Cherry Red Tobacco is a dependable bright leaf variety that transforms your garden into a productive tobacco crop over just 75 days from transplant. This heirloom, open-pollinated cultivar grows upright to 3-5 feet tall and generates an impressive 26 leaves per stalk, each measuring roughly 24 by 15 inches. Its reliable leaf production and deer resistance make it a practical choice for gardeners interested in cultivating their own tobacco, whether in garden beds, containers, or raised beds.
Full Sun
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60in H x ?in W
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The real draw here is the sheer productivity: 26 full-sized leaves per plant, each substantial enough to handle easily without fussiness. At 75 days from transplant to maturity, you're looking at a relatively quick turnaround for a tobacco crop. Deer leave it alone, which is a genuine advantage in many regions where wildlife pressure can derail other plants. The variety's willingness to grow in containers, raised beds, or open ground gives you flexibility in how you structure your cultivation.
Cherry Red Tobacco is grown for tobacco leaf production, whether for personal use, home curing, or ornamental/botanical interest. Gardeners cultivate it specifically for the substantial leaves, which are the primary harvest.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. Sow seeds on the soil surface or barely cover them, as light aids germination. Maintain soil temperature around 70-75°F. Transplant seedlings outdoors once they've developed true leaves and all danger of frost has passed.
Harden off seedlings gradually over 7-10 days before moving them to the garden. Transplant outdoors after the last frost date, when soil has warmed. Space plants 24 inches apart in rows with 36 inches between rows.
Harvest occurs around 75 days after transplant when leaves have reached full size and maturity. Leaves are ready when they measure approximately 24 by 15 inches. Monitor plant development and harvest leaves individually as they reach full size, or harvest the entire plant at maturity depending on your intended use.
No specific pruning data available for this upright variety. Focus on allowing the plant to develop its natural form for maximum leaf production.
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“Cherry Red Tobacco represents the backbone of American bright leaf production, preserved as an open-pollinated heirloom and passed down through generations of gardeners and farmers who valued reliable, high-yielding plants. The catalog designation 'heirloom' signals that this variety has been maintained through traditional seed-saving practices rather than commercial hybridization, allowing home growers to harvest and replant their own seed year after year.”