Preparation




Clifton Parker of RR 1, Union, is at work loosening the rich soil in his tobacco greenhouses in March 1974. The next process was to steam the soil to kill all fungus and weeds before the tobacco plants are started. Mr. Parker had 140 acres on top of Lake Erie's cliffs devoted to tobacco, potatoes and livestock.
St. Thomas Times-Journal fonds, C8 Sh2 B2 F5 32.


March: Preparing the Greenhouse

Tobacco seedlings must be started in the greenhouse in order to make certain the harvest comes in before the frost in the fall. 1-2 inches of "black muck", retrieved from local swamp lands, are spread on the seedling beds and sterilized with chemicals (now the more popular method) or by steaming, to kill any weeds. After it has been sterilized, the muck is thoroughly worked and levelled by raking, leaving it ready to be seeded. Prior to seeding, the muck beds are prepared with a fertilizer high in booster phosphates. Seeding takes place during the last week of March or the first days of April. Two ounces of tobacco seeds will supply plants for 20 to 30 acres on average. The seedling beds must be kept damp until the plants have developed a root system.