Emerald Castle Farms

Welcome to

Emerald Castle Farms

Thank you all for a good season.
We are sold out of seed for the year - However, I may be able to help with individual larger orders.

We intend to open again for the 2025 season come late next spring/early summer next year.

Stratified Ginseng Seed for 2025

The 2025 planting season will be here sooner than we might think. The reports I get from growers continue to be very encouraging! Here are a few of the emails and texts I've received:

"These pictures are of the plants I got from you a few years ago. They're doing great! They were six years old when I got them from you - that was three years ago I believe."
~ Ohio Grower

"So, my seng is sprouting that I got from you last fall. I got a few pounds from you and I spread them out over seven different plots, all of them have sprung up! Excellent!!! This is very exciting! I was so excited to see all those sprouts come up this year!"
~ Illinois Grower

"I just wanted to relay good news on last years planting. I've not yet seen anything like what I'm seeing this year! I have large patches of nearly 100% germination. About a third of the total area is like carpet, and the remainder is decent! I did choose a more sloped terrain than previous right above my creek, but, same results in my test beds -vigorous & plentiful. Very pleased!"
~ Ohio Grower

"Hi Brad, when will you have seeds available for this year's fall planting? I purchased seeds last fall and got about a 70-80% germination rate. Without a doubt the best I've ever had."
~ Ohio Grower

Here is part of a Facebook conversation I saw about the middle of May this year:

Now, it is time to secure the seed you need for this fall's planting. The wholesale price has risen slightly, but I've arranged a supply of seed for my customers. The biggest increase in cost this year is going to be shipping unfortunately. Cut off date for advanced orders and large orders (to ensure availability) this year will be September 1, 2024.

As always, first come -first served, and we anticipate mid September delivery.

Don't wait until the last minute and get caught short without high quality stratified ginseng seed. Order now!

ECF Seeder

The funnels I have used for years on this seeder have only one manufacturer. And they started manufacturing them in Mexico. So, we are now making the funnels in house with heavier guage American steel. This makes the ECF seeder now 100% made in America, by an American small business, with ALL American steel (not imported plastic).

I designed the ECF Seeder for my own use around the year 2000 -I've been improving, and making them available to other growers ever since. As we move forward, we learn more about this wonderful plant -we also continue to grow older ourselves. Getting down on the ground or raking a hillside isn't as easy as it used to be. With this tool, neither is necessary. If you have problems with turkeys eating the seed from your rake and scatter patches...this indispensable tool will help. We've also learned that excessively disturbing the soil (rake and scatter planting or excessive harvesting) may contribute to disease issues and ultimately replant failure (meaning you can't plant ginseng in that same ground again). We have finally produced a video of the ECF Seeder in action with the results from the following spring! You can see the video at the bottom of the ECF Seeder page on this site. Just click the button below to head over to the seeder page. Remember, I make these by hand so you need to get your orders in early if you want to use them for this fall's planting.

Always Beware...

I've noticed a lot more of the unethical dealers are making pushes to sell 'ginseng' seed to be delivered in the spring or at times of the year other than fall. Don't be fooled folks! There is a huge difference in ordering seed early (even in early April) for fall delivery, and ordering and receiving seed before fall. Mind you, there are some reputable dealers who have left over seed from fall, and it is good, viable seed. But you don't find those folks on amazon and ebay most of the time and you won't see them running from facebook page to facebook page trying to unload what they got stuck with.

So, if you see an ad for roots or a small amount of seed, and the seller is telling you "ready to plant" ...well....as a dealer in the business for over 20 years I'd advise you to be very careful. There is a reason why knowledgable ginseng growers do not plant until fall. There is also a reason they don't take seed out of stratification until then. And, responsible dealers won't sell you rootlets out of season when the chance of survival is slim without clearly expressing this fact to you.

If you need a large amount of seed (including commercial quantities) get in touch with me via phone or email for a quote.

Join us on Facebook!

Click here to visit the Growing Ginseng: A Beginner's Group page.
The purpose of this group is to educate and encourage ginseng growers. To become a place for questions and honest, reasonable, and logical answers. Experienced growers are of course welcome and encouraged to share their experiences or ask questions as well. The new grower can learn much by reading these discussions. When you request to join, be sure to answer the membership questions or I will refuse your membership. Also, if you do not have a regular facebook profile page (for instance you last posted in spring of 2022), I am likely to assume you are a hacked account and will not allow you into the group. If that is the case, you need to contact me directly to get into the group.