TOPIC: Double/Tripple root size - Fresh roots dug today 10/27.

Thanks Guys...

Here is something I have been considering doing and now that I see how those wild roots in my culivated bed did over this two year period I have no doubt that a man could do alright with this.

If you had a nice large prepaired bed in a good spot in the woods, cultivated woods soil, perhaps tweaked as I did my seed producing bed.

In those years when wild seng prices are not as high as you would like, you could keep some nice wild roots and stash them in that bed and let them grow there for 2-3-4 years - until the price goes high again on seng.

When the price does go high... you could harvest them and sell them.

I think in just a couple of years, your weight will probably double on the roots and they are still going to look as wild as mine did.

They are actually wild roots, just stashed in a storage location a while.

Instead of just harvesting and drying them and selling as you normall would wild seng.

You would mark them good in late fall, and harvest them in December, January, Febuary, get them certified and sell them on Ebay.
Here in TN the ginseng season (for selling) does not end until the end of March... so you could sell them on Ebay little by little until then.

When you have good looking wild roots for sale fresh on ebay when no one else does - there is no telling what they will sell for.

The two roots that I dug up to transplant, were a couple of the smaller ones from my seed bed (top wise). The very top of the bed is always a little dryer than the lower part, and the plants on the lower end are doing quite a bit better than the ones higher up the bed. That is why I was transplanting those at the very top.

But even those two at the top that had smaller tops, the roots had grown a LOT in just two years.

I can't imaging what the roots on some of those big stout 4's down lower in the bed look like now. Or what they will look like in another 2-3 years.

I may have to dig one up in another year or two and just check it out.

TNhunter

TNhunter, I think thats illegal.

Guy

guy wrote:

TNhunter, I think thats illegal.

Guy

You are right to a point! TNhunter is on to something here that might work but a person or persons must be careful to stay within the Laws. The Ginseng Harvesting Season only runs through December 31st here and no Ginseng can be harvested beyond that date and I believe that applies to Growers and their' cultivated/wildgrown/woodsgrown Ginseng as well. This needs to be clarified with the State and see if there are waivers allowing Growers to dig their' own Ginseng beyond Dec. 31st! Also, a person might have to be licensed as a Grower. The selling season like TNhunter wrote, runs through the end of March. Now, does this selling season apply to Dealers only or to Diggers and Buyers (I think both)? No matter which, I believe that all Ginseng bought by Dealers, must be certified by the end of March while a Digger can hold onto their' dug Ginseng until the next selling season and it does not have to be certified. To make this work best to your advantage, the Digger/Grower needs to become a Dealer as well! Ginseng can still be harvested and certified by Dec. 31st and stored in an environment that imitates it's natural environment in the woods during winter (i.e. kept cooler than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, kept in a good soil or other imitation that is not too dry and not too damp and has no contaminates that might promote mold or disease). You could then sell the certified, stored roots on eBay as you wish through the end of March.


Frank

P.S. Sorry that I kind of ramble on and write posts much longer than they need to be!

Nice lookin' roots there. I bet that you were glad to see them have gotton so big.

Hey Guys..

Here is some text on the topic for the State of Tennessee Ginseng Regulations...

==

The wild ginseng Harvest Season is from September 1 to December 31 of each year. It is unlawful to dig wild ginseng for the purpose of sale or export on any date not within the ginseng Harvest Season.

The ginseng Buying Season, to buy and sell, is from September 1 to the following March 31.

The ginseng Dealer Permit shall be issued and become effective on September 1 (or date of issuance thereafter) of each year and will be good and valid through August 31 of the next year. The fee for registration shall be $250.00 PER year.

To move ginseng out of state, one must have a Dealer Permit AND an Export Certificate as required by federal law.

==

I suppose that may vary some by State.

I did not remember December 31 being the end of the legal \"digging\" date, but that is true.
End of selling date is March 31.

I guess you could harvest several nice roots (dig them up from your bed) on Dec 31 and then sell them over the next few weeks on Ebay.
As long as you dug them on Dec 31... you could store them in the a cool place, like the Fridge...or even in a bucket in your basement (perhaps stashed in some moist leaf mulch)... for as long as they would store then and then continue to sell them on Ebay thru January.

Not sure how long you could actually store fresh roots, or what the best way to do that would be.

Anyone got experience at that ?

Also notice in TN that to sell out of State you have to be a registered dealer (cost 250.00). I think that is a lot higher cost in TN than most states.
And well you have to have it certified as well.

Other than not being able to actually dig it up past Dec 31... do you see anything about this that would be considered illegal ?

I will definately be abiding by the law.

Thanks

TNhunter

TN Hunter,

I think there would be nothing wrong with digging these roots after dec. 31. It seems to me that by transplanting them with the intent to get them out later in the year would be the same thing as storing them in the fridge or anywhere else, you are just storing them in the ground.

Lenno

lenno wrote:

TN Hunter,

I think there would be nothing wrong with digging these roots after dec. 31. It seems to me that by transplanting them with the intent to get them out later in the year would be the same thing as storing them in the fridge or anywhere else, you are just storing them in the ground.

Lenno

You might want to check the Department of Agriculture's interpretation of what constitues digging as in harvesting in the State you are in. However, I would imagine that the roots have to physically removed (dug) from the ground and cannot be put back into any grounds for storage for selling purposes. I would bet that the dug roots would have to be stored in a cool and slightly moist environment such as a basement or refrigerator in slightly damp peat moss, compost or mulch!


Frank

Frank, you are probably right, the regulations in place probably wouldnt support my opinion. My point is there really isnt any difference in the end result.