TOPIC: Starting a Ginseng farm in ca wild simulated

I am a disabled veteran in California interested in farming Ginseng wild simulated 8 year crop rotation have experience growing many crop's so I am gonna hit the ground running California has many unique micro climates that are not 110 degrees hot all summer some places have weather similar to Washington and Oregon I have recently purchased a 5 acre parcel 90 percent treed with pines and oaks in one of these climate area's I am going to shred all leafs and compost them then till them in the soil gonna prep the ground for 2 years their is a laboratory in Virginia that will monitor 2 acres for $500.00 dollars a year so I will be using that for 4 acres to ensure perfection and the 5th acre I will get premium soil it will cost me $500 dollars per bed of soil I will plant 15- 6'x200' foot bed's with 19,200 seed's each grow them in these bed's for 2 year's then transplant them to the other 4 acres at 12 inch spacing on the whole property for 6 years these will set their to grow after 2 years already growing so they will be 8 years first pick I will be harvesting only a half acre at a time then will replant after I sell them in raised bed's the thing about California is it is not as wet here as it is in the North states or the East states so I don't think the fungus or the diseases here will be as much of a problem but regardless I will be getting rid of all old soil and be trucking new stuff in yearly I will also be selling a certain amounts of rootlets to the public to help pay my bills while waiting for the ginseng to grow their is nobody on the west coast that sells rootlets please let me know what you think I am looking for all the help I can get I am hoping for $300 dollars a pound at harvest for each half acre lot so if the dealer buys all he can make a good amount as well off of it this farm will be all organic minus the rat and mice traps lol

Green Cure,
That sounds like a mighty adventuresome journey you are starting on. The first red flag that went up was when you said you were planting 19,200 roots to each bed. I would just say that you better make absolutely certain that the roots are positively disease free. I feel almost certain that if they turn out to have some disease in them that you will never get your money back. I've never seen a guarantee with them for more that hours or days after receiving them that would allow you to return them. You're taking a mighty big risk with no more of a guarantee than that. I would encourage you to get something in writing to cover losses. Good luck.

Hugh

The stratified seeds will be planted 3 inches apart then separated after 2 years their not gonna stay like that ,greatly appreciate your input I will be washing all stratified seeds with 1 part bleach to 5 parts water mixture then wash that off and dip in 1 part vitamin b1 to 4 parts water then gonna plant I got a lot of views please give some input please say what you want people don't be shy maybe the beds are a bad idea and I should just plant it every where let me know

Damn 75 views and no comments come on people

Hi Green,

There might be serveral reasons you are not getting responses.

First, few folks have experience doing what you are suggesting, so there is a lack of experience in that area.

Secondly, several of us here (including our host) are in the business of growing and selling rootlets. And, well, in all honesty, you are proposing to be competition to us.

Additionally consider that you also received some comments in the other identical thread you started.

As someone who worked out a business plan of sorts when I started, I would advise you take your best, most honestly realistic estimates of sales and profits and multiply them by 20%. That's right....you could also divide them by 5 (or more) and be closer to reality. While there is a huge market for finished marketable root, there is a very limited market for rootlets. Further, the costs you are suggesting you will encure to compete with those who have good growing conditions to start will just suggest to me that you will have to be priced higher than the competition.

Good luck...seriously.

I understand and thank you for your reply please understand that you guys are on the East side of the country I am on the West and their is nobody here selling rootlets or seed's the shipping cost to get to any of your customers would make the price to high for anyone seeing how I am only gonna sell 100 at a time and a certain amount only I am just selling some to carry my note on my home and land trying to make a honest business to give to my children when my journey ends I will not be selling rootlets when I start harvesting my land as its too time consuming

I'm not getting into an argument on this at all, and I don't think you are wanting to either. But are you aware that a 1 lb priority mail box ships anywhere in the US in normally 3 days or less for $6?

I think you are missing a very important point we have tried to tell you. The conditions for growing ginseng in southern california might not be conducive to production. I really wish you the best of luck. But, you asked for opinions and several of us have suggested the same issue with your geography.

BCastle wrote:

I'm not getting into an argument on this at all, and I don't think you are wanting to either. But are you aware that a 1 lb priority mail box ships anywhere in the US in normally 3 days or less for $6?

I think you are missing a very important point we have tried to tell you. The conditions for growing ginseng in southern california might not be conducive to production. I really wish you the best of luck. But, you asked for opinions and several of us have suggested the same issue with your geography.

Brad,

I know it is hard to keep up with things when a Poster starts more than one Thread on the same subject but in the other Thread, Green cure advised that he will be growing the Ginseng in a more Northerly part of California. Also, from looking the the climate stats for that area, it appears that the area is much better for growing Ginseng than Northern sections of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. As long as the soil content, type and conditions are great and sunshine to shade issues are taken care of, it appears that Ginseng will do okay or better there. Heck, they have found ways to grow Ginseng in Australia, so why not California??!!


Frank

Hi Frank,

I am aware (and have customers there) northern CA can grow ginseng. I was under the impression that this was southern california...if I was mistaken my apologies. My point still remains, however. That is that he will be competing with those of us in traditional ginseng habitat who can grow it anywhere we can find a spot. This means that his costs and therefore his prices will necessarily be higher than his competitors.

BCastle wrote:

Hi Frank,

I am aware (and have customers there) northern CA can grow ginseng. I was under the impression that this was southern california...if I was mistaken my apologies. My point still remains, however. That is that he will be competing with those of us in traditional ginseng habitat who can grow it anywhere we can find a spot. This means that his costs and therefore his prices will necessarily be higher than his competitors.

I fully understand that he will be in competition with the growers in the East and Canada! However, his' operation on appearance from his writings will not even be a drop in the bucket to many of the bigger Ginseng growing operations and may have little effect on the prices. Sure, if his operating costs are higher than the traditional operations, he will have to try to get more for his' product. However, since he states that he will be supplying more localized buyers in California, Oregon and Washington State, the pricing of his' and similar operations out West, may not effect the pricing here in the East and Canada as adversely as you fear. There is such a huge market for Ginseng right here in the United States that truly never gets addressed due to most of the North American Ginseng being purchased by the Chinese and shipped to Asia. These smaller operations may be able to address that discrepancy and supply buyers in the U.S. that most often have to buy back our' Ginseng from China to address their' needs. Myself and so many others here in the U.S. are so tired of the fact that most of the Ginseng products available here to us, were either mixed and packaged in China and Korea or mixed in those countries and shipped here, then packaged before going to suppliers and those Ginseng products which clearly say they are Panax quinquefolius, L. (North American Ginseng), are not. They actually contain probably 98% to 99% of either Asian Ginseng or Siberian Ginseng and only 1% to 2% of actual North American Ginseng or whatever the FDA or other powers to be allows them to get away with. I constantly chastise my daughters, family members, friends and anyone I come across that purchases these knock-off Panax quinquefolius, L. Ginseng products and tell them to go out and dig the real stuff.


Frank