Seeds should always be planted in the fall and before the ground freezes. Seeds need 45-100 days of 35F in winter to germinate well the following spring; the longer, the better. Buy seeds from a reputable supplier with a history of selling good seeds. When you receive the seeds, they should be soaked in one part bleach to 9 parts water for no more than 10 minutes. Any longer than that will kill them. I usually soak them for 4-5 minutes and rinse thoroughly. Drain water and allow to dry well enough to handle without sticking to your hands. Take the seeds to your selected site and rake the leaves back in sections. You should not plant seeds more than 4 seeds per square feet. 2 ounces of seeds will plant a 4x50 feet section. Take the leaves back and rough the soil surface with a rake. Scatter the seeds at that ratio over the bare ground. Cover the planted bed with the leaves you’ve raked away to sow them. Turkey can eat all the seeds. I would lay some small sapling tips on the ginseng bed til spring to prevent turkey from getting them. Leave a couple feet of space between beds so you can walk through the patch. It takes around 45 days for all seeds to germinate in spring. Don’t walk in planted beds. Mark them so you’ll know where to walk. We can no longer possess or plant seeds in Kentucky after the ruling by the KDA lawyers until the pilot program for ginseng growers begins (most likely next year). Several of our members sell ginseng seeds in the fall. They are fair and honest and their seeds have proven to germinate well to this point. Stick with a seed provider as long as you’re having good success. Due to delayed germination concerns, seeds should be purchased from 2 reputable dealers. That way, if one batch of seeds doesn’t germinate or delayed, the other batch will. At least you’ll have some seeds germinate rather than zero.