I know a small amount about TMV, and I know just enough about it to say that if I were you, I'd go ahead and plant the tobacco although not terribly close (I'll explain why in a second) to the tomatoes or peppers or, if you have them, petunias or ground cherries. Maybe not close to eggplant either.

Nowadays, most hybrid tomatoes have some degree of resistance to TMV. In fact, TMV generally is not a problem for the average home gardener and hasn't been in quite some time. Nowadays, TMV is largely an issue in large commercial tomato-growing operations where it generally is spead by mechanical means. They no longer think it is necessarily spread as widely by insects as once believed.

Regarding the cigarette connection, it depends on the source of tobacco in your cigarettes. For about the last 20 to 25 years or so, tobacco grown in the USA is TMV-tolerant. However, Turkish tobacco is not.

Now, about the plants susceptible to TMV infection: there are a lot of them! Many of us grow a lot of plants that can become infected with TMV, although that doesn't necessarily mean they will. Among the plants that can serve as hosts for TMV are tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, petunias, marigolds, snapdragons, and delphiniums. There is also a somewhat lower risk that the following can contract TMV: impatiens, ground cherries, zinnias, phlox, cucurbits like squash, melons and cucumbers, and the whole nightshade family, including daturas like jimsonweed (angel's trumpets).

For what it is worth, I grow all kinds of TMV-susceptible plants and I bet I haven't seen 5 cases of TMV in my garden in all the years I've been gardening. Among the plants I commonly grow are several types of nicotianas in my moon garden. Nicotianas are commonly called 'flowering tobacco'. I've never had them show any symptoms of TMV.

My brother smokes and that includes smoking while working in his garden and I've never seen TMV on any of his plants either.

Earlier, I suggested that if you plant tobacco, you plant it some distance away from your tomatoes and other susceptible plants. The reason for that suggestion is that tobacco hornworms may be attracted to the tobacco plants, and since tomato hornworms already are an issue, why double your trouble by attracting tobacco hornworms too?

Now, Cucumber Mosaic Virus is a whole different issue, and there's a Pepper Mosaic Virus too, I think.

Cucumber Mosaic Virus is widespead and it is spread by insects, so once it appears in your garden, it can become widespread. I generally don't see it often here, but some folks see it often, maybe even every single year. I believe that often CMV is misdiagnosed as TMV by home gardeners. I think often it takes a plant pathologist to be able to distinguish between the two.

Jay may be able to tell you more. I think in his area he may see some CMV and TMV, if not on his plants, then on other folks' plants.

Finally, for what it is worth, I have grown tobacco and found it to be a very coarse and ugly plant. And, just to be evil and perverse, I planted it right next to a row of tomato plants. The nearest tomato plant was maybe 3' from it and neither one of them had any disease issues. I didn't think the tobacco was nearly as pleasing in appearance as the nicotianas.

Dawn

I had a tomato plant a few years back with some strange-to-me symptoms. Turned out to be TMV. That was just a year or two after I'd learned that TMV was no longer a major concern. Heh. If I remember correctly, the plant person I showed the plant to said that it is, indeed, still a problem and becoming a larger one in the family garden once again. I can't remember why it's once again spreading, according to him.

But, this is just what one plant "expert" told me and who knows? He could have been full of crap. I don't know enough about it to figure it out.

Diane

Thanks for the info ladies. I will plant the tobacco far away just in case, The one I got from the friend via SOC is Schrazi and it looks like a pretty trumpet type flower.
I will continue my stress smoking (USA tobacco) on my garden bench :P

It is quite the hiding spot!

Jo