My wife and I run a home based business as landscape contractors and commercial flower growers. I have for a number of years been interested in growing ginseng as a crop. I have done all the research on growing requirements and methods and we live in a part of the country where ginseng was a native plant. What I need to know is if anyone has tried and succeeded at growing it for profit. How did it work out? If I do start growing it would be organic/wild simulated.

-- JJ Grandits (JJGBDF@aol.com), February 25, 2002

Answers

I'll add a question... where does it commonly grow? Geographic area and terrain? Who buys it?

JJ, I don't have an answer but I heard that it takes big $$$ to start and a lot of time to recover your investment ... 7-8 years. As you probably know, It's not just plant some and reap the benefits.

-- Mike in Pa (smfine@yahoo.com), February 25, 2002.

That has come up in the class that I'm taking through the USDA. We will be discussing it on 3 weeks. Have You checked through the USDA in your state? I'll let you know what I find out , when I find it out...cindy

-- cindy in Mo (redhenfarm@yahoo.com), February 25, 2002.

Go to the ASPI site (Appalachian Science in the Public Interest--or something like that!) out of Ky. They have a Ginseng Growers program. They offer classes and seed access. There is a great video that they made regarding planting and site requirements. They also have several commercial growers, some in the Wisconsin area as I remmebr, that they share information with. As you know since you have researched, it takes years to see a profit, often 7-10 depending on your site and skill, as well as security of your crop.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), February 25, 2002.

I live in the largest Shang producing county in the USA. I've worked in the gardens off and on for several years. Its quite labor intensive and capital intensive to do it the "commercial" way.

Plan on at least 3 years before harvest. If I were doing it I'd make some beds in the woods so you could eliminate the need for shade cloth and all that stuff. From what I understand shang grows slower in the woods because of the competition for nutrients by the trees but I think that could be offset somewhat by providing additional organic nutrition in the form of additional leaves as mulch. I'd also ad Kelp, which is very rich in micro-nutrients. Cultivated wild shang brings much better money than the commercial stuff.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), February 25, 2002.

I had a forester who was working with goldenseal and ginseng walk the acreage and woods with me to point out potential planting sites.

The biggest problem was that although a lot of the land has the desirable North facing orientation along with sheltered coves, the soil layer was too thin because of previous farming practices.

There is one area that has potential. At least one of the marker plants, maidenhair fern, grows in profusion. Spice bush is another plant that grows on soils suitable for ginseng.

If you've got a deer problem, you'll have to prevent them from getting to your plots. Deer will decimate your plantings.

-- Darren (df1@infi.net), February 25, 2002.

Thanks for the input. What I was wondering is if there was anyone in the forum who has actually done it. I've read enough books and research papers on the subject to teach a class in it. Book knowledge and "doing it" knowledge are two different things. One makes interesting conversation and the other gets things done. We are located in New York (native range), the terrain is good, indicator plants present, soil conditions good. Wild simulated takes 8-10 years, no fertilizers are used as it does increase root size but lowers the value considerably. As far as selling goes there are dealers around, most goes overseas but the domestic market is pretty strong. Hope I answered some of the questions that came up and I'd still like to here from others out there. JJ

-- JJ Grandits (JJGBDF@aol.com), February 25, 2002.

To get the best money for ginseng it has to have the same appearence as wild. Cultivated ginseng grows much quicker than wild due to the better environment but demands a lesser price as it is less attractive to the oriental market. The width of the growth rings on the root are an easy indication on how fast it grew and thus whether it is culivated or wild.

-- Adam (adwats2@uky.edu), February 25, 2002.

Had a friend in Tennesee a few years back who grew ginseng. He had a basement full of it which he had grown wild. His roots were just not the right color or shape which made them worth considerably less so he decided he'd rather let them rot than sell them for what he was offered.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), February 25, 2002.

As always, there's good information in the "Older Messages" or archives. I just can't tell you which cateory it's in, but since I knew it was there somewhere I did a search with google, using the phrase "greenspun ginseng" and it threw up these threads:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=006dBE

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=004QlD

Just copy and paste each address in turn into the Address window of your browser.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 25, 2002.

I recently took some classes in the Arnot forest at Cornell. They had some demonstration plots of ginsang and from what I remember the best place to plant is in an area where sugar maple and christmas fern grow. The soil conditions seem to be right in those areas.

-- Paul (treewizard@buffalo.com), February 26, 2002.

J.J. I guess the answer to your question so far is nope. Lots of interesting advice but no real growers. I have thought of growing it and it may make it into my regimen after I harvest this crop of small children that take all my time. In this area there is a problem of ginseng thieves. No kidding. I'm in the NC mountains and it is regularly wildcrafted in this area. I know one lady who was growing some in the forest right at her house. Someone spotted it and asked her about it and several weeks later it was gone. Hopefully in a few years when I get around to planting some you'll have some good advice for me!!

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), February 26, 2002.

I know some folks that have a homestead in North Dakota, where they wild farm american, siberian, and I think korean ginseng, in a mixed hardwood forest. They are fairly secretive about the operation, but they did the first harvest a couple years ago (8 seasons of planting, and waiting) and are planting every year more. They did the research about 10 years ago, so if you search hard enough, and are diligent, the answers that you seek will come. They are making excellent money. I may try to get employed at planting time one year and make the trip to really check it out, but until then, it is just hearsay.

-- roberto pokachinni (pokachinni@yahoo.com), March 04, 2002.

Though I am not a grower, THERE ARE real growers out there and I have met them. Contact ASPI for their ginseng growers program. I went to daylong classes from them, etc.

After much evaluation however, I decided it wasn't for me. The need for secrecy (heck, folks at the classes wouldn't use their last name or admit to what county they were from) and security (midnight raids on your stash with weapons) was too much for me to consider. Some folks had generations-old beds dug up while they were on vacation, even with a person watching the homestead.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), March 04, 2002.