rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts
Posted - Nov 17 2015 : 7:43:20 PM
I have recently invested in some ginseng rootlets and seeds to try my hand at growing for personal use and *hopefully* resale. My son and I planted our crop this weekend and marked each root so I don't forget where they are. We have a nice wooded area on the property near enough to the house to keep an eye on it daily (since it is a fairly "hot" commodity, though thankfully we haven't had any issues with thieves here). The area we selected is a great match for where we could expect to find it in the wild. I have been wanting to try several health remedies that call for ginseng but I don't want to contribute to the endangerment/extinction of wild grown species (which is why I invested in some). We followed the directions sent from the seller on how to plant, so hopefully all will go well. My plan is to invest each year in another set of rootlets and seeds so that each year we can plant and harvest a little more while saving some for full maturity (approximately 10 years) to harvest. It is a long time until the "big" payoff but I'm ok with that. My son and I are both very excited about it. My husband is too, but he's still extremely sick so not quite as enthusiastic right now.
Damien (my son) and I have talked about growing other herbs and plants that are in high request but have few people working with them as a possible income source. I have a couple of books on "wild-simulated" growing these types of plants, so we are working on some plans. I am so thrilled that my son is very interested in this with me and wants to be part of it. I feel like we are going to be able to provide a decent income (eventually) for ourselves, help other people by providing valuable plants AND help to protect wild growth of these plants from becoming extinct by growing this way.
Anyway, I was just wondering if any of you ladies have experience with this type of farming and if so, if you would be willing to share any insights.
Rachel Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
Rachel I just bought a pack of seeds also! They just came in Oct. I too am not sure when or how I should start them. I just bought a wooded lot as well so I thought they would grow well here. I'll look up some suggestions on starting them inside. I'll post again.
rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts
Posted - Nov 18 2015 : 5:33:54 PM
I know that the harvest season in GA is from September through December 31 and for wild harvesting, it is a requirement that all seeds are replanted when the root is harvested in the same spot. From my understanding, now is the time to plant. We did cover the roots and seeds with leaf litter but there wasn't a whole lot of it to gather and spread over them so we will probably be adding some mulch this weekend.
Rachel Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
Tall Holly
True Blue Farmgirl
2305 Posts
Holly
Worcester
Vermont
USA
2305 Posts
Posted - Nov 23 2015 : 04:14:24 AM
I planted some ginseng seeds last year. I do not know how many came up because we planted them all over.
I have some butternut that a neighbor gave us so I have ordered some gallon pots to start them in. I am going to fill the pots with composted manure and a butternut and set them on the side of the field. I was thinking of doing this with acorns as well. The oak were harvested out of the area decades ago and are just recovering.
Have you looked into permaculture? That idea may helpyou decide what to grow.
Holly farmgirl #2499
hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts
Posted - Nov 23 2015 : 05:00:48 AM
What a neat neat idea! I have no advice nor experience, but wanted to say I hope your hubby feels better soon Rachel!
Growing ginseng and other plants
Posted - Nov 17 2015 : 7:43:20 PM
