Growing ginseng requires great patience, a large investment and hard work to harvest

Spring is Approaching fast!

 Things to Consider for Spring

• Germinating Your Own Herb Seeds

• Ordering Potted Herb Plants

• Controlling Garden Pests

• Composting - Using Compost

• Drying and Storing Your Herbs

• Soil Fertility - Soil Testing Your Herb Garden Soil

• How the Changing Weather Will Affect Your Herb Garden

Ginseng has many different grades of ginseng root or panax ginseng including Siberian ginseng, Korean & American ginseng

Panax quinquefolius (American);Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian)Panax ginseng (P. pseudoginseng) (Korean or Asian)

• Growing Zones: Roughly 2B to 8

• Perennial

Ginseng is a common native of hardwood forests throughout eastern and central North America. By the 1800s in America, ginseng was becoming less plentiful, due to voracious gathering of the ginseng root. It soon became an industry.

 
Growing ginseng offers an opportunity to use idle woodlots and woodlands as an extra income source, for the patient and stout at heart.

Growing ginseng requires great patience, a large investment and hard work to harvest. Ginseng is cultivated commercially under special growing conditions in Wisconsin, and more recently in British Columbia and Ontario. Today, most ginseng is exported from the U.S. is from Marathon County, Wisconsin.

The seeds of American ginseng are planted in specially prepared areas or in the hardwood forests, in the fall before the ground freezes. The ginseng seedlings appear in the spring but are not mature for 3 to 6 years. Siberian ginseng may take 1-2 years to geminate, a bit longer that American ginseng.  

A process called "stratification" is generally required for germination of ginseng seeds. To grow in your wooded herb garden, in the fall sow the ginseng seeds in flats and place outside in your garden bed and cover with mulch. In the early spring inspect the flats periodically for signs of germination. When germination begins, remove the mulch.

Ginseng, aka Siberian ginseng, Latin name panax or panacea, illustrates the power this medicinal herb held for centuries

Ginseng, it was thought, worked as an aphrodisiac & the ginseng root also increased one’s wisdom & longevity. A highly valued commodity traded on the frontier was Ginseng.

Siberian ginseng has been used by the Russian cosmonauts to improve performance in space. It has been found to posses powerful tonic properties and is found to relieve the effects of mental and physical stress. Siberian ginseng differs from American ginseng in that it does not cause insomnia in large doses.

Ginseng and its fame has led to many misconceptions about its use as a medicinal herb, and many claims are disputed

Ginseng is an amazing medicinal herb but: It should never be taken during an inflammatory illness or bronchitis, as it can drive the illness deeper.

Ginseng and Siberian ginseng is thought to help those weakened by old age or disease. It is also thought to be stimulating for the central nervous system, because of several hormone-like substances in the plant.

Ginseng believers claim that the benefits include protection against stress and building physical endurance. While folklore and traditional views on the benefits of ginseng have claimed it to be a great healer, some claims have also been reinforced by modern research. Modern science, though, has remained skeptical with tests raising more questions than answers concerning ginseng.

Thomas Kueny – Publisher

http://www.growing-herbs.com