TOPIC: Where do I send soil samples in NC.

I plan on making a trip to Madison County, NC in Sept or 1st week of Oct. I'm taking soil samples from a possible piece of land I plan on buying. Where do I need to send the samples? NC Dept of AG or can I send the samples to a county extension? A second question I have is, if I come the last part of sept or 1st week in Oct., will the vegatation under the canopy of poplars, maples ect. still be visable? Or will they be on there way to dormancy. I'm new to this, so I'm trying to learn and have all my ducks in a row. The piece of property is large. Do I need to invest in a gps to document the areas? Thanks for any advide and suggestions.

Hello garthNJessica, welcome to this forum.

I live in NC. Please go to your local NC dept of Ag county extension to get the correct soil samples boxes, the submission form, and follow the dept of ag's instructions. A filling the boxes, labeling, and sealing them is time consuming, however the samples analysis is free thru the dept of Ag as long as you are a resident of NC. and, as long as the samples you are submitting are submitted to the County extension from May thru nov.(I think). Wintertime samples are subject to a fee.

It taks about 6 weeks to receive results. The Dept of Ag likes to get results to you electronically, so a good email addy is important to the process. Initially, the instructions seem a bit bulky, however are really simple enough.

I have found that boxing the samples ink the \"official\" boxes takes as long a as gathering them.

Good luck!

I just realized that you had more Q's than the one I answered...

The time you are inspecting the property... 'S ang tops will likely be down by then. Other ground cover maybe as well, depending on frosts.

A GPS is a usefult tool for some. I don't use one myself, relying on \"old-school\" hand drawn rough maps for my records.

garethNjessica,
I'm going to comment on a couple of things that you asked about. The colors in the Madison County area should be really starting to fire up at the time you are planning on being in the area. It can vary some depending on the elevation. When you get up close to 4500 ft. elevation the peak of color generally arrives at the 3rd week of September. Below that, it takes a while longer. It can take your breath in the upper Shelton Laurel area.
Another thing is, to be absolutely certain to have the property surveyed and check for any past liens, restrictions, or right of ways. Your probably talking about property that goes right up to the Pisgah National Forest boundaries and you just need to check these things out. Good luck.

Hugh

Yes Sir, you are correct Mr. Hugh. I'll check the past leins for tax issues or restrictions. Would restrictions be on growing seng there? Is that what you are refering to? Right of way? I don't follow you. I'm sorry, this is alot different than what I am use to. I live in FL, zone 9b. Mr. Whitjr, thank you, I'll get in contact with the Madison County extension office. Same way as it works in the area I live in now. Thats great to know. I'll have my boxes and supplies ready to go. Mr. Hugh, you seem to know that area. Is the area decent for growing, (wild simulated)?

garethNjessica,
I was thinking more in the way of right of ways that may have been given to neighboring individuals or the Forest Service to get from the road to another spot on the other side of your property. I don't know of any reason why you could not grow ginseng that they might restrict if it's on your property.
Madison County has traditionally been known as a pretty high producer of wild ginseng. No two spots can produce exactly the same. I grew up in Cocke County, Tn. which is the county that borders Madison County, N.C. Last season I did most of my ginseng hunting along the border of these two counties. I saw and dug some very nice ginseng. I visited some friends that live in Madison County this summer and they showed me some very nice ginseng growing there. I even scouted some territory on that side thinking I might possibly try to get a permit to hunt there this year.

All that being said, there is nothing like going over property with a skilled ginseng grower and letting them give you the best advise about whether the property will grow ginseng. Robert Eidus is right there in Marshall, N.C. He is a professional and would probably take a day to walk over the property to assess it. It would be money well spent. If you need to talk with me, my email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or my phone number is 423-586-6198. Good luck on your move.

Hugh

Thank you, I appriciate the advice. We are deffinately a ways out from moving. But, I want to be as much prepared as possible between now and then.

Mr. Hartsell, this is completely off subject, but I went to your fly fishing websie. Nice site. Where do you do most of your day trips? I've fished on the Smokies side, but never over torwards Haywood or Madison county area. Is there an area you prefer over others? Depending upon species I guess.

garethNjessica,
I know that the subject is getting a little bit away from ginseng, but the question you ask really has some of it's roots that spread into the realm of ginsenging.
Many of the years of my life have been in the realm of flyfishing and the same trips have taken me into ginseng country. In regard to Madison County, there are numerous streams on the North Carolina side and the Tennessee side in this area. If you go out of Hot Springs toward Max Patch, you will see Meadow Fork and Roaring Fork. They are not too big, but they are loaded with fish. If you go out of Hot Springs toward Greene County, Tn. you will come to Paint Creek. If you go out of Hot Springs toward Shelton Laurel, you will come to Big Laurel, and Shelton Laurel Creeks. There is just not hardly any way that you can go that does not hold some great trout water. Here is the added bonus: all of this country that I have mentioned is ginseng growing country. When your doing one, the other is right there beside you. It doesn't hurt a bit to do a little scouting while your on the stream. You'll see and learn a lot about the special growing areas that ginseng loves and flyfishing brings you into contact with some nice people. I hope this helps some. Thanks for the comments on the website.

Hugh

That's good to know. I was hooked as a kid the first trout I caught on a fly. As the older I got, it became more like a \"high\". It's amazing to stalk and catch trout. It's been a long time since I have been up there and trout fished, long over due. The areas in Madison county you mentioned, what species of trout? Brook, bows or browns? We have a few properties we are going to look at. Some in Madison and Haywood county. Haywood seems more expensive. Do you have any areas you'd prefer to fish in Haywood? Thank you for your time and knowledge. I'm grateful for it.