http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ho/ho73/ho73.htm
Medicinal Herb Seed and Root Sources for Planting in Kentucky
R. Terry Jones, Department of Horticulture
Each year, the department of horticulture receives many calls requesting sources of various plant seeds or roots and technical information about their care and handling. The growers listed in this publication should not be construed as the only sources of seed, roots, or plants. The University is not recommending them over others not listed. The price of seed, roots, and plants varies from year to year due to demand and availability. Different suppliers ask differing prices during the same year. In addition, the quantity purchased may also affect the price.
If you are getting into medicinal herb production for the first time, be aware that prices growers receive for many of these plants can vary tremendously from season to season. Sometimes supply can exceed demand. Roots that sold for $50.00 per pound last year may only be worth $15.00 per pound this year.
Woods-grown or wild-simulated ginseng is one of the major medicinal herbs grown in Kentucky. Freshly harvested ginseng seed (in the fall) usually requires 18 months for the embryo in the seed to develop and mature before it will germinate. This fact explains why seed is stored in moist sand for about 12 months (a process called “stratifying the seed”). People new to the ginseng business should order stratified seed or freshly harvested roots. If your purchased seed dries out, germination will be drastically reduced.
At present, most commercial ginseng plantings in Kentucky are either woods-grown or wild-simulated. These are made by directly sowing seed using seeding rates of 10 to 30 pounds of seed per acre. Seed prices have increased in recent years with prices between $50 to $80 per pound; therefore, it may cost more than $2,400 per acre to plant ginseng from seed. For individuals just beginning, we suggest sowing seed 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep in a permanent bed. You may wish to plant seeds and grow one-year-old roots for transplanting to a permanent location. The roots should be set on a 45-degree angle with the bud 1 inch below the soil.
For more detailed information on planting seeds or roots and ginseng production, refer to Cooperative Extension publication Cultivating Ginseng in Kentucky (ID-60), available from your local Cooperative Extension office.
Has a good list of plants and nurseries...
http://www.revivevictorygarden.org/ What is a Victory Garden?
During World War I and World War II, the United States government asked its citizens to plant gardens in order to support the war effort. Millions of people planted gardens. In 1943, Americans planted over 20 million Victory Gardens, and the harvest accounted for nearly a third of all the vegetables consumed in the country that year. Emphasis was placed on making gardening a family or community effort — not a drudgery, but a pastime, and a national duty.
Why plant a victory garden?
Today our food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to table. The process of planting, fertilizing, processing, packaging, and transporting our food uses a great deal of energy and contributes to the cause of global warming.
Planting a Victory Garden to fight global warming would reduce the amount of pollution your food contributes to global warming. Instead of traveling many miles from farm to table, your food would travel from your own garden to your table.
Our current economic situation is other good reason to start a Victory Garden. Every time that food is shipped from the farm to the store and your table, gasoline is used. As gasoline prices rise, food costs rise.
How can my actions make a difference? I’m only one person.
Each one of us may only be one person. However, we each have an impact on the environment and can make changes to reduce our impact.
I have no backyard, what can I do?
You can combine vegetable plants with flowers in your frontyard.
You can plant containers on your porch, patio, or balcony and can grow sprouts indoors.
Check to see if you have a community garden available.
Perhaps a neighbor or friend without time or ability would let you garden their yard, in exchange for some produce.
If these options are not available, you can also choose to purchase foods which are grown close to home by visiting your local farmer’s market or joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). If local foods are not available to you, choose foods which use fewer chemical pesticides - such as organics, are in season, or have minimal packaging.