Despite spring weather conditions that slowed growth of ginseng, growers report that increased acreage still is expected to be harvested this year.
Many ginseng growers are behind up to 12 days in the spring part of the growing season, due to a combination of extreme cold weather in April and heavy winds that knocked over shade canopies on many farms, according to an article in the Brantford Expositor.
Remi Van De Slyke is president of the Ontario Ginseng Growers Association. He told the media outlet that ginseng takes four years to reach full maturity and growers hope to nurture its progress through all four years to get the best yields.
In 2017, Ontario ginseng growers had a collective 8,000 acres under cultivation, most of it in Norfolk County.

Ginseng root / photo by Rainey Ginseng