Final Report for FNE99-291
Project Information
In addition to farming, Bill manages a woodlot where he grows shiitake mushrooms, black walnut trees, and ginseng. Ginseng is a difficult plant to grow, but Bill has been successfully producing it “woods simulated” for almost 20 years now. His SARE project involved bringing school children to his farm, so that they could learn about this plant and how to grow it.
Bill arranged several tours with schools, 4-H clubs, and FFA groups, bringing about one hundred children, in all, to his farm. He showed them his plantings in the woods, instructed them on how to grow ginseng, and sent each one home with a pound of seed. Bill reports plenty of enthusiasm on the part of the children. He hopes that through these children he can help to reintroduce ginseng to the Appalachians, where the wild plant can scarcely be found at all anymore.