Description

Tobacco Black Sea Samsun Canik
Nicotiana tabacum

Annual. An ancient variety of smoking tobacco from Turkey. 1.50-meter plant with columnar habit. Numerous pale pink flowers cluster at the top of the plant. Very popular with bees and other pollinators. Superb flowering, lasting all summer until frost.

Full sun, well drained and rich soil. Sow indoors 8 to 12 weeks before the last frost. Transplant when temperature is above 10°C. Protect young plants from wind at the beginning of the season. Sow on the surface: seeds need light to germinate. 40 cm between plants.

Germination: 85% in November 2025
Ecological seeds produced at Catherine’s Ornamental Garden.

Note
I like tobacco plants for their ornamental aspect. This one has a particular look, narrower than the others, with large clumps of flowers. We grew them unsupported in a fairly windy field. The plants eventually collapsed to the ground, and each of the branches sprang up to form new plants – it was quite beautiful!

If you want to smoke it, it’s quite early: sown indoors at the beginning of April in zone 4b, in full sun, it has had time to produce many leaves mature enough for harvesting. In comparison, Virginia Gold tobacco needs to be sown in early March to ripen to the same extent.

Wherever Black Sea Samsun Canik tobacco is offered, the smoke is said to be more fragrant, milder and sweeter than other tobaccos. Is this true? We have no idea, as we don’t smoke.