This thread is to explore the knowledge of how many, or what % of growers or however you wnat to say it....

Can you grow WILD SIMULATED or WOODS GROWN (what's the difference anyway ? ) as your sole source of income ? What about 1/2 your income ?

Now, let's qualify "income". For this thread we'll use $50,000. This seems to be a livable income in most areas.

' Seng is such a sissy plant. We read of 10% germination, disease, varmints, poor soil etc. I've done the math, however, the variables are your downfall.

So, how many of you,or do you know of someone who is a "professional" woods grower ?

BeastMaster wrote:
This thread is to explore the knowledge of how many, or what % of growers or however you wnat to say it....

Can you grow WILD SIMULATED or WOODS GROWN (what's the difference anyway ? ) as your sole source of income ? What about 1/2 your income ?

Now, let's qualify "income". For this thread we'll use $50,000. This seems to be a livable income in most areas.

' Seng is such a sissy plant. We read of 10% germination, disease, varmints, poor soil etc. I've done the math, however, the variables are your downfall.

So, how many of you,or do you know of someone who is a "professional" woods grower ?I sure would not depend on it for a living. A hobby with income potential yes. But you have to love it to stick with it.
rootman

I am sure there are those would could grow seng and probably a mix of other wild stuff (goldenseal, cohash, etc) and make a decent living in that 50k range.

Think you would have to first have a very good location, and a love for growing it and determination that would get you past all of those variables and potential problems.

I have been planting ginseng berries (on wild) since back around 1976 and just last fall planted my first stratified seed.

I ended up planting 4 lbs - around 28,000 seeds my first fall/winter.

My goal is that when I do retire, I will have a little extra income from the ginseng, perhaps pay for a yearly vacation that way and a little more if possible.

In Scotts book it shows that (if planting in good locations) for each pound of seed you plant you should harvest around 7 lbs dry root.

If it actually worked out like that - my 4 pounds of seed planted should yield 28 lbs of dry wild simulated seng - that will basicaly be indistinguishable from true wild.

We sold our wild last year for 700.00/lb

If I got only 500.00 for that 28 lbs that works out to 14,000.00

That would sure take me and my honey on a nice vacation and then some

TNhunter

I ordered that Scott fellers book last night. Got it for .44 + $3.99 shipping from Amazon.

So...'sengin' is about like selling coyotes for the live mkt., commercial net fishing for catfish, processing deer for people etc. It all makes a poor man's wages if you switch from one to the next as the seasons progress.

You got the Persons book for 44 cents? Pretty good deal... you can do all my buying for me.... I had to pay $17.99 + shipping when I got mine.

Of course I'm speaking fluent scarcasm, not meant to offend. Tho, 44 cents is a pretty good deal!

Perhaps a better focus would be what TNHunter said...

"I am sure there are those would could grow seng and probably a mix of other wild stuff (goldenseal, cohash, etc) and make a decent living in that 50k range.

Think you would have to first have a very good location, and a love for growing it and determination that would get you past all of those variables and potential problems."

I am not lumping my project into the same catagory as herding cats or selling cyotes to the live market.... Can't think of it that way....

I went to Amazon to get the book. Yes it was forty-four cents + $3.99 shipping. I think the catch was that it shipped from some "green earth" type place in Oregon, and not Amazon (which has a warehouse less than 30 mi. from me). So..I'll have to wait on the book longer than usual. But,, for .44, I'll wait.


Order #: 002-496859
Shipping Method: Standard Shipping
Shipping Preference: Group my items into as few shipments as possible
Subtotal of Items: $0.44
Shipping & Handling: $3.99
------
Total for this Order: $4.43


Delivery estimate: Aug. 31, 2011 - Sept. 16, 2011
1 "American ginseng: Green gold"
W. Scott Persons; Paperback; $0.44

This should be the _link_ to several of the books at .45 (price went up .01 since last night !).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0914875167/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Maybe I should have considered a used book, however I got mine as a new one.

Great deals!

BeastMaster

The book you bought(American ginseng: Green gold,1994) is Scott's older book that does not have much detail on Wild Simulated as his newer revised book(Growing & Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal & Other Woodland Medicinals,2007).

I have both of Scott's books and the old one does not compare to the Revised edition in growing wild simulated.

It's worth the price for a new revised copy.

classicfur

I think most that are doing it are going at it the woods cultivated method. Faster turn over for your investment. Growing that way is truly like farming. Your area would have to be accessible for equipment for spraying and cultivating. It isn't feasible to hand spray acres of ginseng " which is what you would have to have over a six or seven year period to make that type of living from it". Even that route I think it would be eight to ten years to receive a sizable return. You can count on your first couple or three years allowing you to learn so.... start slowly and work your way up. Better a mistake with a couple pound of seed than with thirty.


Hillhopper