tomnagel,
Most here agree that fall is the best time to plant (October/November).
Last winter I planted some in October, November, December, January and a little early Feb.
I had good results with what I planted in the fall, and some bad results with what I planted later (Jan/Feb).
I don't know for sure though if it was the time of the planting or just the seed source (quality of seed) because I changed to a different seed supplier for those Jan/Feb plantings.
A lot of folks that post here planted some seed in Jan/Feb last year and had very poor germination. This was seed purchased from various seed suppliers so it was not just one bad batch of seed from one supplier (or that is unlikely anyway).
I live in the Middle TN area and as far as working conditions go, the woods soil is in excellent shape in Jan/Feb (especially after a snow and thaw) the ground is very soft then. Makes for nice planting - where in the fall it can be kind of hard and dry (unless you time your plantings after a good fall rain).
I think if you could get good viable seed in Jan/Feb and plant it carefully you would get some good results.
The problem may be that many seed suppliers prefer to sell in the fall (get rid of them quick) rather than hold on to them all winter and sell in the spring.
In some cases what you may get when you buy spring seed, is left over seed, that has not been stored properly, and may be in bad shape.
If mis-treated, not stored properly, ginseng seed can go dormant and wait another year before it sprouts (if it does sprout).
A lot of us here experienced results like that with seed we bought for planting in Jan/Feb, and some into March last year.
This year I planted 3 pounds (approx 21,000 seeds) in October, early November, and I have not planted any more yet.
If you do buy some seed late winter be sure and check the seed out well for proper embryo development (search the forum here for a post on that).
And Good Luck to You !
TNhunter
