Minimum: 50+ Seeds
Virginia tobacco saved a failing colony and built an economy. The story starts with a handful of seeds and a man who knew what to do with them.
In 1612, John Rolfe obtained seeds of Nicotiana tabacum from Trinidad and Venezuela and planted them in the fertile bottomland soil along the James River. The result was a leaf entirely unlike the bitter native tobacco the English settlers had encountered. It was mild, aromatic, and immediately desirable to European smokers. The first shipment reached London in 1614 and sold out. Within years, tobacco was the economic engine of colonial Virginia, planted in every cleared field and traded as currency. An entire civilization was built on what Rolfe grew from those seeds.
The second defining moment in Virginia tobacco's history came two centuries later, in 1839, on a farm in Caswell County, North Carolina. A man named Stephen, enslaved on the Slade plantation, was tending a tobacco curing barn when the fire went out overnight. He restarted it quickly using charcoal instead of wood, producing a sudden surge of heat. When the barn was opened, the leaves had turned a brilliant, uniform yellow. That accident became the foundation of flue-cured bright leaf tobacco and transformed the entire industry. Stephen's name was not recorded in most accounts. The process he discovered is still used today.
Virginia 355 is a direct descendant of that tradition. A highly regarded modern selection within the flue-cured Virginia family, it produces the bright, lemon-yellow to deep orange leaves that have defined Virginia tobacco's identity for over four centuries. Medium to large in size with excellent texture and elasticity, the leaves cure to a consistent, vivid color with good oil content and a flavor profile that is noticeably sweet, with subtle floral and fruity undertones and a smooth, clean character that has made Virginia the most widely used tobacco type in the world. It is genuinely one of the most flavorful and manageable varieties available to the home grower.
THE PLANT
Upright and moderately tall, reaching approximately five to six feet at maturity, with broad medium to large leaves that develop their characteristic brightness as the plant matures toward harvest. Virginia 355 is a reliable, consistent performer that responds well to standard Virginia-style growing practices. It produces generous yields of well-formed leaves across the stalk and matures in approximately 65 to 75 days from transplant. Pink flowers appear at the crown at full maturity. The leaves cure beautifully to a bright golden color through flue curing, or to a lighter tan through air or sun curing for those without kiln access.
CURING
Virginia 355 is a flue-cured variety by classification, meaning the leaves are cured in a controlled heat environment that locks in the natural sugars, develops the bright color, and creates the smooth, sweet flavor the type is known for. For the home grower without a dedicated curing barn, sun curing and air curing both produce good results, with flavor profiles that are slightly earthier and less bright but still deeply characteristic of the Virginia type. The leaves can also be processed as a pipe tobacco component or blended with oriental and burley varieties for a more complex character.
Non-GMO. Open-pollinated. Grown without synthetic pesticides or chemical inputs. Growing tobacco for personal use is completely legal in the United States without special permits or licenses.
WHAT YOU GET
Open-pollinated, Non-GMO and seed-saving friendly Flue-cured brightleaf Virginia type with lemon-yellow to deep orange leaves Sweet, smooth flavor with subtle floral and fruity undertones Medium to large leaves with excellent texture and curing quality Moderate height of approximately five to six feet Matures in approximately 65 to 75 days from transplant Versatile curing options including flue, sun, and air curing Excellent as a standalone or as a blending component
GROWING NOTES
Start indoors six weeks before last frost. Surface sow on moist seed starting mix and do not cover as tobacco seeds require light to germinate. Keep consistently moist and warm at 70 to 80 degrees F until germination in 10 to 14 days. Transplant outdoors after all frost risk has passed into full sun and well-drained soil with a pH of around 5.8. Space plants 24 inches apart. Feed with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer at transplant and again during active growth. Water at half an inch per week. Top the plant when the crown begins to flower to redirect energy into the leaves.
From Jamestown to your garden. One of the most historically significant crops ever grown on American soil.