TOPIC: last years poor seed germination in the spring

One difference with Canadian seed is their accent!! LOL!

BCastle,
I may try some of that seed this fall. Would love to see your operation this fall. We can meet at Walmart. You can blindfold me spin me around a few times and drive me to your planting beds. lol
Latt

kchacha- eh? In speaking with a Canadian Confluence... \"eH?\" is the proper way to end any good question.... LOL

Latt- If that spin thing works well, please let us all know! Maybe the CIA should use that technique in Afganistan.... LOL

LOL

kchacha that one's worth a thumbs up from me!

Latt, I normally never take anyone to my growing spots. Three reasons, first the obvious one about security, second, the deal I have with the guy who lives there, is that if I don't take people in, he can't either, and third, there isn't much to see in reality.

I normally plant five to six pounds a year. Most of them in raked up beds in the woods seeded very heavily. Remember, my goals and yours are a little different at this point. You are growing for market roots, and I\"m growing for seedlings to sell to others. So, I seed heavily so I don't have to dig up half an acre trying to fill a 500 count order. Besides, with my crazy work schedule and school too, I don't have time to be in the woods nearly as much as I want in the fall. As you know, we start getting those monsoon like rains about the end of September, and it can make digging rootlets a real mess.

Here are a couple pictures of beds from a few years ago to give you a good idea.

Very nice BCastle, how do you dig up the seedlings?

On my hands and knees with a trapper's trowel. (unless I can talk my girlfriend into helping! )

When will you be taking orders?

BCastle,
Those are some nice planting beds with really good looking germination too. Did you use a seeder/planter or did you use the rake and scatter method. It appears some are in a straight line indicating a seeder/planter was used. I have often considered using a seeder/planter. I guess some use a radish seed planter and drill out the holes a bit larger to allow the larger ginseng seeds to pass through.

Also do you spray to get rid of weeds prior to planting. Your planting beds look void of unwanted weeds.
Nice job!
Latt

Nice looking beds! Looks like you put a lot of effort into them.

Maya,
I start taking seed orders after the first of July, and rootlet orders about the first of August after I see what I'll have available to dig. (read what I can still find! )

Latt,
Thanks. I do use an Earthway seeder. I use a pea plate and cut down the lip. I got hold of Dr. Persons' book after that and think his idea of drilling out the radish plate would be much easier. I thought it was actually kind of neat that we independently had both adapted the same tool to do the same thing in slightly different ways. I look for a seed every inch or two when I'm sowing. I till, then rake and shape, then seed with the seeder rather quickly so when the seed drops they scatter a little bit in the furrow. Keep in mind, by tilling and using a seeder, the resulting roots are legally considered cultivated here (as opposed to the only alternative of 'wild'). But, I've never had trouble with my roots looking anything but completely wild by three years old.

I do sometimes roundup and area when I intend to plant in the fall. But, I don't think that area needed any weed killer at all. I think I had just dug out a huge batch of multiflora rose bushes the year before, and this area was still pretty clean. I did (when I still had time) go through and pull weeds and all the garlic mustard I could stand.

Kchacha,
Thank you Sir! I have put more work into some that look worse than those do. I think this was just a nice spot at that time. They took all my tall timber three years ago and that is all at the bottom of a 7 foot briar patch right now.