A seedbed (sometimes called an almácigo in Spanish-speaking tobacco regions) is where commercial cigar tobacco usually starts. The seed is sown densely in a prepared bed under cloth or another cover that protects the seedlings from cold, wind, insects, and drying. When the plants are large enough, they are transplanted into the field rows where they will finish growing.
Starting in a seedbed gives the grower an even stand of healthy seedlings and keeps the earliest, most fragile stage out of open ground. See growing cigar tobacco.