When I moved to Madison County in the early 1970s, until the late 1990s when the federal tobacco program was ended, tobacco beds were a frequent sight throughout the county. Famers would have sowed their beds in late February and covered them with plastic sheeting to protect against cold weather. The tires were placed over the beds to keep the plastic from blowing away in the winds of March. It was removed in early May when the last frost usually occurred. By that time the beds would be bursting with plants, ready to be set out in the fields a couple of weeks later.
Little Worlds--Tobacco
Issac Gunter’s Tobacco Bed, Sodom, 1982, from Sodom Laurel Album.