[Steam-engine] Steaming tobacco beds?

[Andre' Blanchard]

Would it be best done in the spring or fall do you think?

I would think the box could be made from wood.  A plywood top with 2 by 4 
sides.
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Andre' B.


At 11:12 AM 8/26/2005, you wrote:
>I'll start by saying I have never steamed a garden yet, but plan to next 
>year. When they did tobacco beds they did use large pans to cover the 
>ground. I was recently told how to steam beds and gardens without a pan. 
>You start with a large piece of heavy plastic, I suspect a cheap tarp 
>would work as well. Turn up (till) the ground where you want to steam, you 
>want to steam to get down in the dirt. Lay the plastic out over the area. 
>Then take a heavy log chain and lay  it around the edges of the plastic to 
>keep it down. Next, take a section of PVC pipe and drill holes all along 
>it. I'm considering using small diameter, corrigated, flexible drain pipe 
>but not sure if it will melt since it's thin. Be sure the end of the pipe 
>is capped. Slide the pipe under the end of the pasltic. You want the pipe 
>in the middle of the bed and want it to run about the full length of the 
>bed or area you are steaming. Then connect a hose (steam hose or at least 
>something that can handle steam) to the end of the pipe. Connect the other 
>end to any steam outlet on your engine. You do have a steam outlet for 
>steaming corn, lobster and shrimp, right? Open the steam valve enough that 
>the plastic "inflates" over the area you are steaming. Wait about 15-20 
>minutes and the area should be done. In old days, a raw egg buried 3-4 
>inches under the surface would come out hard cooked if you steamed long 
>enough. You should only have to steam the beds every few years to keep the 
>weeds down. The result is that yo don't need herbicides and the garden / 
>bed is much easier to maintain.
>
>Mark

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Andre' B.  Clear Lake, Wi.