growing & pulling plants audio interviews

Farmers Featured:

Harold Malcomb, David Smith, Ronnie Dunavent, David Lyons, Edward Brown, Berta Gayle, James Cammack, Arthur Hamilton, and Asa Phillips.

Growing plants is the first step in the production of tobacco. This mural features three framed images to describe this process. Burning Plant Beds was done in the spring to prepare the beds to sow the tobacco seeds that would grow into plants. Pulling Plants was a dreaded job as it required sitting on a narrow board across the plant bed to pull weeds and then plants that would be set in the field. Plant beds were covered with canvas to protect the plants. Float beds began in the late 1990s by growing plants in a greenhouse in plastic trays. Plants are transported in the trays to the field for planting.

This mural is located on US Highway 127 South in Monterey next to the Monterey Cemetery.