Tobacco?

Even though im kicking the habit i know lots of friends that b*tch about the prices of cigs and i was wondering how tobacco is grown? can someone give me a quick breakdown of how tobacco should be grown from seed to cure/smoke?

i found some awesome deals on ebay for tobacco seeds. $1.50-$2 for 200-300 tobacco seeds (virgina gold and Kentucky tobacco seeds).

how many plants (avg as i know estimating yield is difficult for any plant) would it take to equal a carton worth of cigs?

i figure i can make room in my outdoor garden and let my friend have the tobacco to roll his own since he's kinda..well..poor. i just wanna get an idea of the yield and how difficult it is to grow because if it takes too many plants or is too complicated then ill tell my friend i cant do it.

Supposedly the drying/curing takes forever.
But the plant will produce leaves its whole life. You just need to pick them when they're big. It is an ongoing thing as far as I can tell.

I looked into growing my own Tobacco a few years back. In fact, I have a really informative book on growing and curing Tobacco, written by Jim Johnson called "Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home... A guide for Gardeners". 210 pages, enough to tell me the intricate details of what I'd have to do. I came to the conclusion that it was way too much, initially, to invest in the materials needed to process it alone. The plants' seeds are tiny, similar to Poppy's, but somehow, it grows the hugest leaves. It takes a long time to cure, probably the biggest reason for my abandonment. I have the patience of a Gnat. It also needs a large footprint. So forget the cost of seeds. I purchased about 20 different varieties at the time I bought the book. I jumped the gun 'cause I won't use them after finding out all that information. Weed is a bunch easier. I get a lb. of tobacco and two boxes of 250 pre-made tubes w/ filter attached, enough for 2-1/2 cartons for the Kool sum of $35.00. The tobacco is a much healthier, better, chemical free type which also stays lit! Classified as "Pipe Tobacco" its' tax rates are different. The investment is only (I have Top's own brand) $50. I have had mine for 2+ years, works flawlessly if you don't overfill and force it, if you do, you'll break it. I did the previous machine to this one. Also, the tubes are a great way to make "Stealth" joints. Filter end is snapped off when you want to partake. Being already rolled, you don't have to wait. Just instant available doobie ; no, that's too long...

I have grown a few. Never smoked any of it, yet...but here is what I have found.
The seeds are more close to spores! Poppy seeds are gargantuan.
I started mine in a large pot of wetted potting soil. Sprinkle the seeds on top and gently water them in. Place them in a sunny window. They require it to germinate! I wouldn't think in terms of this years crop. Get a couple of plants to flower and you will have enough seed to play around with. 1 seed "pod" will have 500 seeds. I bought what was sold as 50 seeds. It was weighed in mg and still had twice as many as claimed. The seedlings look like algae, they're incredibly small.
Treat it like tomatoes. that's the end of my knowledge.