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Growing ashwagandha at home is easier than its reputation suggests, and yes, you can grow this Ayurvedic adaptogen in a backyard garden almost anywhere in North America. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is hardy down to zone 6 as a perennial, and gardeners in colder zones (myself included, here in zone 4 Vermont) grow it as a single-season annual and harvest the medicinal roots before the first hard frost. The plants are drought-tolerant, tolerate poor soil, and thrive on neglect once established.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Homestead
- Can You Grow Ashwagandha at Home?
- Ashwagandha Hardiness Zones and Climate
- How to Grow Ashwagandha from Seed
- Growing Ashwagandha in Pots
- Can You Grow Ashwagandha Indoors?
- Ashwagandha Plant Care
- When and How to Harvest Ashwagandha
- Drying Ashwagandha Roots
- How to Use Ashwagandha
- Traditional Uses of Ashwagandha
- Safety and Cautions for Ashwagandha
- Ashwagandha FAQs
- More Medicinal Herb Growing Guides
- How to Grow Ashwagandha Recipe
- Make Your Own Herbal Medicine
Also called Indian ginseng or winter cherry, ashwagandha has been cultivated for thousands of years across India, Nepal, and the Middle East as a foundational herb in Ayurvedic medicine. The Sanskrit name translates roughly to “smell of horse,” a reference both to the slightly horsey smell of the fresh roots and to the traditional belief that the herb imparts the strength and vitality of a stallion. Western herbalists know it as one of the classic adaptogens, a small group of herbs (alongside astragalus, tulsi, and ginseng) traditionally used to support the body’s response to stress.
Until recently, ashwagandha was hard to find outside of specialty Ayurvedic suppliers and a handful of dedicated medicinal seed companies. That’s changed. Seeds are now available through most herb-focused seed catalogs, occasional plants turn up at well-stocked nurseries, and prepared ashwagandha powder is in nearly every health food store. But the dried root in those expensive supplement bottles is exactly what the plant produces in your garden after a single growing season, which makes growing your own one of the highest-value medicinal herbs you can add to a homestead.
Notes from My Homestead
I picked up my first ashwagandha plant on a complete impulse, the way I tend to acquire most of the more unusual things in our medicinal garden. There was a small seedling tucked into the herb section of a local Vermont nursery, the only one they had, and the price tag named it in a way I’d never expected to see at a New England garden center. I bought it without knowing the first thing about how to grow it, which is honestly the most reliable way I’ve added new plants to our garden over the years.
That single plant grew through one of the rare hot Vermont summers we’ve had, mostly forgotten in a back corner of the garden, and produced a respectable handful of medicinal roots before our first October frost. Since then, I’ve started ashwagandha from seed every spring, treating it the way I’d treat any heat-loving annual like a tomato or a pepper. The plant has earned a permanent place in our medicinal garden, and the roots dry beautifully into a homegrown supply that costs almost nothing once you factor out the seed packet.
Mainly I wanted you to know how much you inspired me to try in zone 4, and it was successful. This is my first time growing ashwagandha. I washed the roots, scrubbing between my fingers, and turned the fresh roots into tincture by blending them in vodka and everclear. Had enough for two quarts.
Can You Grow Ashwagandha at Home?
Yes, ashwagandha grows readily as a garden plant in most of the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It’s a tender perennial in zones 6 through 10 and an easy summer annual in colder zones. The plant’s natural range is the dry uplands of India, Nepal, and Pakistan, but it adapts beautifully to backyard conditions in temperate climates as long as it gets a long warm season, plenty of sun, and well-drained soil.
The most common reason gardeners struggle with ashwagandha is starting it too late in the season. The seeds need warm soil to germinate, and the plants need a full growing season (roughly 150 to 180 days) to develop the substantial roots that are the medicinal harvest. In short-season climates, that means starting seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost so plants are sizable transplants by the time outdoor temperatures are warm enough to put them out.
Ashwagandha Hardiness Zones and Climate
Ashwagandha is a tender perennial hardy to USDA zone 6, where it can survive mild winters in the ground and return year after year. In zones 7 through 10, plants can persist for several years and develop substantial perennial root systems that produce ever-larger harvests. In zones 5 and colder, the plant should be grown as a summer annual, with roots harvested at the end of each season before the first hard frost kills the top growth.
The plant’s optimal growing range is broad. Daytime temperatures between 70 and 95°F produce the best growth, and ashwagandha tolerates the kind of dry, hot summer that stresses many other garden plants. It does not, however, tolerate frost. Even a light frost will damage the foliage, and a hard frost kills the top growth entirely, which is why timing matters so much in cool climates.
Here in Vermont, our 100-day growing season and cool nights make ashwagandha a marginal crop, but a productive one. We get plants that reach 2 to 3 feet tall and develop respectable medicinal roots, even though we rarely see the bright red fruit the plant produces in warmer climates. Gardeners in zones 7 through 9 routinely report mature plants 3 to 4 feet tall with full fruiting cycles in a single season.
How to Grow Ashwagandha from Seed
Ashwagandha grows readily from seed, and starting from seed is the most reliable way to get the plants you need since nursery transplants are still uncommon outside of well-stocked herb specialty nurseries. Seeds are available from medicinal-herb seed companies including Earthbeat Seeds, Strictly Medicinal, Baker Creek, and Mountain Rose Herbs, all of which routinely carry ashwagandha alongside other less-common medicinals.
Sow seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost in a sterile seed-starting mix. The seeds need consistent warmth (a soil temperature of at least 70°F is the minimum, and 75 to 80°F speeds germination considerably) and respond well to bottom heat from a seedling heat mat. Press the seeds gently into the soil surface and cover lightly, since they germinate best with a thin soil cover. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, and expect the first seedlings to emerge in roughly 2 weeks.
Once the seedlings have several true leaves, pot them up into larger containers and continue growing under bright light until they’re 4 to 6 inches tall and outdoor temperatures are reliably above 50°F at night. Harden off gradually over a week or so, exposing the seedlings to outdoor conditions for increasing periods, and then transplant into the garden or final pots once nights are consistently warm.
If you’re new to starting plants from seed, my beginner’s guide to seed starting walks through the basics, and the post on common seed starting mistakes covers the damping-off issues that can take down young ashwagandha seedlings just as easily as any other plant in a humidity dome.
Growing Ashwagandha in Pots
Ashwagandha grows beautifully in containers and is actually one of the better medicinal herbs for pot culture, since the well-drained conditions of a container suit the plant’s preference for dry, sandy soil. For a single mature plant, choose a 3 to 5 gallon pot with good drainage, which gives the roots room to develop without making the soil hold so much water that the plant rots.
Use a sandier potting mix than you’d use for most vegetables. A blend of about 3 parts cactus or succulent potting mix to 1 part compost works well, giving the roots the well-drained, slightly nutrient-poor conditions they prefer. Standard potting soil straight out of the bag often holds too much water for ashwagandha and can cause root rot, particularly in cool or rainy climates.
Container-grown ashwagandha needs less frequent watering than most potted herbs. Let the top inch or two of soil dry out between waterings, then water deeply. The plants tolerate brief drought without stress, and consistent overwatering is much more likely to kill them than the occasional dry spell. A sunny patio or balcony is an ideal home for a potted plant, and the portability lets cold-climate gardeners bring the plant indoors at the end of the season for further root development.
Can You Grow Ashwagandha Indoors?
Ashwagandha can be grown indoors year-round in a bright south-facing window or under grow lights, though indoor plants generally produce smaller roots than outdoor ones because indoor conditions rarely match the heat and intense sun the plant prefers. The most useful indoor application is overwintering: a potted plant brought inside before frost can keep growing slowly through the winter, then resume vigorous growth and produce a much larger root harvest the following season.
For overwintering, place the pot in your brightest available window or under a full-spectrum LED grow light running 12 to 14 hours a day. Keep indoor temperatures between 60 and 75°F, water sparingly (the plant uses very little water in low light conditions), and stop fertilizing entirely until you see new spring growth. Some leaf drop during the indoor transition is normal and not a cause for alarm.
Ashwagandha Plant Care
Once established, ashwagandha is one of the most low-maintenance plants in our medicinal garden. The plants tolerate poor soil, drought, and neglect, and they’re rarely bothered by pests or diseases. The most important care considerations are sun, drainage, and water restraint.
- Sun: Full sun is essential. Aim for at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, and plants will tolerate even more sun in cooler climates.
- Soil: Well-drained, sandy, slightly alkaline soil is ideal. Heavy clay or soils that stay consistently wet will rot the roots.
- Water: Less is more. Allow soil to dry between waterings, and never let plants sit in saturated soil.
- Fertilizer: Generally unnecessary. Ashwagandha actually produces stronger medicinal compounds in lean conditions, and over-fertilizing can produce lush leaves with poor root development.
- Spacing: Allow roughly 2 feet between plants for adequate airflow and root development.
- Pests: Rare. You may notice small holes in the leaves from flea beetles or other insects, but the leaves aren’t the harvest, so minor damage is purely cosmetic.
The plants typically reach 2 to 3 feet tall in cooler climates and can grow taller in long-season conditions. They produce small, pale yellow-green star-shaped flowers in summer that develop into bright red-orange berries enclosed in papery husks, similar in appearance to tomatillos and ground cherries, which makes sense because all three plants are in the same Solanaceae (nightshade) family. Unlike those edible cousins, however, ashwagandha berries should not be eaten and are considered toxic.
When and How to Harvest Ashwagandha
The traditional time to harvest ashwagandha roots is after the plant has fully matured and produced ripe fruit, which generally takes 150 to 180 days from seed. In long-season climates, that means harvesting in late summer or early fall, after the bright red berries have appeared and started to dry. Roots harvested at this point are at their most medicinally potent, having had a full season to develop their characteristic bitter-warming flavor profile.
In short-season climates like ours in Vermont, plants often won’t reach full fruiting before the first frost. The practical alternative is to harvest the roots just before the first hard frost, even if the plants haven’t yet produced ripe fruit. The harvest will be smaller than what’s possible in a longer season, but the roots are still medicinally useful, and you avoid the more involved process of overwintering plants indoors.
To harvest, water the plant thoroughly the day before to soften the soil. Use a digging fork or spade to loosen the soil in a wide circle around the base of the plant, working carefully to avoid breaking the long taproot. Lift the entire plant by the base, shake off as much loose soil as possible, and trim away the foliage at the soil line. Wash the roots thoroughly under running water, rubbing between your fingers to remove all soil from the crevices.
Drying Ashwagandha Roots
Drying is the trickiest part of the process for cool, humid climates like ours, since ashwagandha is traditionally dried in the hot dry conditions of its native range. In a warm, low-humidity climate, you can simply hang washed roots in a well-ventilated spot out of direct sunlight and let them dry naturally over a week or two. In humid climates, that approach often results in moldy or partially-dried roots, which is what happened to me on my first attempt.
The reliable solution is to chop the cleaned roots into small pieces (no thicker than the diameter of a pencil) and dry them in a dehydrator at the lowest setting (95 to 105°F) or in an oven on the lowest setting with the door cracked. Either method produces fully dry, crisp pieces in 12 to 24 hours, depending on root thickness. Properly dried roots snap cleanly when bent and have no soft or pliable spots.
Once dry, the pieces can be ground to powder in a small spice grinder or stored whole in a sealed glass jar away from light. Whole dried roots keep their potency for at least a year, while ground powder is best used within 6 months for full medicinal strength.
How to Use Ashwagandha
Dried ashwagandha root has a smell that’s often described as horsey or musky, and the powder is genuinely bitter, which is true of most adaptogens. The taste is part of why traditional preparations almost always combine ashwagandha with sweet, fatty, or strongly aromatic ingredients to balance it.
Golden milk is the classic Ayurvedic preparation, and it’s by far the most palatable way to take ashwagandha at home. Whisk 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ashwagandha powder into warmed milk (dairy or plant-based both work) along with turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and a generous spoonful of honey. The fat in the milk helps absorption since several of ashwagandha’s active compounds are fat-soluble, and the warming spices balance the bitter-medicinal flavor of the root. We make ours with homegrown fermented turmeric for an even more potent version.
Ashwagandha tincture is my preferred way to take it for daily use, since a small dropperful of tincture is far easier than measuring powder into milk every morning. To make a tincture, fill a clean jar with chopped fresh or dried roots, cover completely with high-proof vodka or grain alcohol, seal, and let infuse for 6 weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain through cheesecloth and store the finished tincture in dropper bottles. My complete guide to making herbal tinctures walks through the technique, and our herbal tincture recipes roundup covers more than 20 medicinal tinctures using the same general method.
Capsules are the most discreet option for people who can’t get past the taste even with milk and honey. Fill empty 00-size gelatin or vegetable capsules with ashwagandha powder using a small capsule-filling tray (available cheaply online), and take with a small amount of fat (a glass of milk, a spoonful of nut butter, or a few bites of food) to support absorption.
Leaf tea is a less-common but valid use mentioned by a few experienced ashwagandha growers. The leaves are not as medicinally potent as the roots and have a milder, less bitter flavor, but a tea made from dried ashwagandha leaves is sometimes used as a gentler everyday adaptogen preparation.
Traditional Uses of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha has a long history in Ayurvedic medicine as an adaptogen and rejuvenative tonic, traditionally used to support resilience to stress, energy and stamina, sleep quality, and general vitality. Modern research has explored these traditional uses with growing interest in the past two decades, with studies looking at potential effects on stress hormones, sleep, anxiety, athletic performance, and cognitive function. Results are encouraging in some areas and inconclusive in others, and ashwagandha is now one of the most-studied adaptogens in scientific literature.
Several research summaries note potential support for healthy stress response and cognitive function, with ongoing studies in areas including memory support and anti-inflammatory activity (PubMed reference). As with any herbal medicine, ashwagandha is not a replacement for medical care, and people with specific health concerns should work with a qualified herbalist or healthcare provider rather than relying on self-treatment with information found online.
Safety and Cautions for Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is generally considered safe for healthy adults at typical herbalist-recommended doses, but there are a few important cautions to know before using it.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Ashwagandha is generally not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Avoid use in these situations unless specifically directed by a qualified healthcare provider.
- Children: While ashwagandha has historical use in children in Ayurvedic tradition, modern recommendations vary. Work with a qualified herbalist or pediatric provider rather than self-administering to children.
- Thyroid conditions: Ashwagandha can affect thyroid hormone levels and may not be appropriate for people with hyperthyroid conditions or those taking thyroid medications.
- Autoimmune conditions and immunosuppressants: Because ashwagandha can stimulate immune function, people with autoimmune conditions or those taking immunosuppressant medications should consult a healthcare provider before use.
- Sedatives and other medications: Ashwagandha may interact with sedatives, blood pressure medications, blood sugar medications, and other prescription drugs. Discuss with a pharmacist or healthcare provider if you take any regular medications.
- Berries are not edible: The bright red ashwagandha berries are not part of any traditional preparation and are considered toxic. Use only the roots (or, with caution, the dried leaves), and keep berries away from children and pets.
Ashwagandha FAQs
Ashwagandha is a tender perennial that survives winter outdoors in USDA zones 6 through 10. In zones 5 and colder, it’s grown as an annual and harvested at the end of each growing season. Even in cold climates, plants can be potted up and overwintered indoors to extend their life and produce larger root harvests in subsequent seasons.
Ashwagandha typically takes 150 to 180 days from seed to fully mature roots, which is the traditional harvest time. Plants started indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost will reach respectable harvest size by late summer or early fall in most climates, even short-season ones, though the largest harvests come from full 6-month seasons in zones 7 and warmer.
Ashwagandha plants typically reach 2 to 3 feet tall in cool-climate gardens and can grow up to 4 feet in long-season warm climates with optimal conditions. The plants form a bushy upright shape with branched stems and silvery-green leaves, similar in habit to a small pepper or eggplant.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is native to dry uplands across India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. It has been cultivated for thousands of years as a foundational herb in Ayurvedic medicine and has naturalized in many warm-climate regions worldwide. Today it’s cultivated commercially in India, the United States, and several other countries.
Yes, ashwagandha grows well in containers and is one of the better medicinal herbs for pot culture. Use a 3 to 5 gallon pot with good drainage and a sandy potting mix (about 3 parts cactus or succulent mix to 1 part compost). Water sparingly, allowing the top inch of soil to dry between waterings, and place in full sun for the best growth.
Ashwagandha is generally self-fertile and a single plant can produce viable seeds without a second plant for cross-pollination. In gardens with healthy bee populations, pollinators handle the work outdoors. Indoor or greenhouse plants may benefit from gentle hand-pollination using a small paintbrush to transfer pollen between flowers if seed set is poor.
No, ashwagandha berries are not edible and are considered toxic. Although the plant is in the same Solanaceae family as tomatillos and ground cherries, the bright red ashwagandha fruit is not used in any traditional preparation. The medicinal parts of the plant are the roots and (less commonly) the dried leaves.
More Medicinal Herb Growing Guides
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How to Grow Ashwagandha
Ingredients
- Ashwagandha seeds, Withania somnifera
- sterile seed-starting mix
- sandy potting mix, 3 parts cactus mix to 1 part compost
Instructions
- Sow ashwagandha seeds 1/8 inch deep in sterile seed-starting mix, 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost. Use bottom heat to maintain soil temperature at 70 to 80°F, and keep the soil consistently moist until germination.
- Seedlings should emerge in roughly 2 weeks. Once they appear, provide bright light from a sunny window or full-spectrum grow lights to prevent leggy growth.
- Once seedlings have several true leaves, pot them up into 4-inch containers. Continue growing under bright light until they’re 4 to 6 inches tall and outdoor temperatures are reliably warm.
- Harden off seedlings gradually over a week, exposing them to outdoor conditions for increasing periods. Transplant outdoors when nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50°F, spacing plants 2 feet apart in full sun with well-drained soil.
- Water sparingly throughout the growing season, allowing the top inch or two of soil to dry between waterings. Skip the fertilizer entirely, since ashwagandha actually produces stronger medicinal compounds in lean conditions.
- Harvest the roots after 150 to 180 days, ideally after the plant has produced ripe red fruit. In short-season climates, harvest just before the first hard frost even if fruit hasn’t appeared yet. Use a digging fork to loosen the soil in a wide circle around the plant, then lift carefully to keep the long taproot intact.
- Wash the roots thoroughly under running water, scrubbing between your fingers to remove all soil from the crevices. Trim away the foliage at the soil line and pat dry.
- Chop the cleaned roots into pencil-thick pieces and dry in a dehydrator at 95 to 105°F for 12 to 24 hours, until pieces snap cleanly when bent. Store whole dried pieces in a sealed glass jar away from light, or grind to powder as needed.
Once you’ve got ashwagandha settled into the medicinal garden, the next step is usually adding more adaptogens and herbal medicinals. Our complete guide to medicinal plants covers more than 100 herbs you can grow or forage, and the easy-to-grow medicinal herbs roundup is a good shortlist for new herb gardeners. For making your own preparations from a home-grown harvest, our collection of herbal tincture recipes walks through more than 20 medicinal tinctures using the same general method that works beautifully for ashwagandha root.
Make Your Own Herbal Medicine
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Are these plants self fertile or do I need another plant for pollination to start my own from seeds from my existing plant?
Good question! They’re generally considered to be self fertile and you only need one plant, but if you don’t have many bees around you may need to hand pollinate the flowers to get seed to set.
Thank you for all the information you share! You are one of my favorite resources
Can ashwaghanda be grown in a pot? Thanks!
Yes, it’ll grow in a pot, but the plants do get pretty big. Aim for 3 to 5 gallons for the pot, and use a sandy potting soil. I’d say go with 3/4 cactus potting mix, and 1/4 compost. It should be lighter and better draining than standard potting soil, but not all the way as sandy/dry as for cactus. Best of luck!
Do you think the roots could be made into a tincture? The many benefits of it could be used by my family. But, there is not way they would drink the milk, tea etc… But, I can get them to take tinctures. Thanks so much.
Yes definitely!
Just know that the tincture tastes awful and it is traditionally given with milk because ashwaganda active ingredients are fat soluble. I take with a shot glass of milk, then wash it down with something tasty.
How do I prepare the roots? Do they need to be peeled?
Also zone 4 here, survived several frosts, rest of garden died and still green and standing under snow,lol. Decided to harvest before ground freezes.
No, you don’t need to peel them. Just wash them, chop them and dehydrate them.
Thank you, this is my first time growing ashwaganda, zone 4 I washed the roots scrubbing between my fingers I turned the fresh roots into tincture by blending them in vodka and everclear. Had enough for two quarts. Is the starch inulin, part of active ingredient? Liquid that forms on top before I shake it is red/purple ,like st johns wort.
Are you asking about the inulin content in ashwagandha or the benefits of ashwagandha?
Mainly I wanted you to know how much you inspired me to try in zone 4, and it was suggessfull. Figured out since that the medicinal values are always in the starch, other plants too. Would be curious to know what nutritional or medicinal values are in the liquid portions after starch settles. I always shake them together before use.
I see yours in the pictures have tiny little holes in them and mine did the same thing, although I could never find any bugs eating on them. Do you happen to know what critter it is that eats on them and how to combat it? Thank you!!!
I’m not sure but personally, it isn’t really a concern for me since the root is what we’re after here anyway.
Hi there. I just wanted to say that ashwagandha is most definitely related to tomatillos and ground cherries. They are all in the solanaceae/nightshade family.
I grow ashwagandha on my sunny balcony in Sweden/Scandinavia.
The largest roots in autumn is repotted indors and kept in a sunny window where they grow until the spring.
Roots ar traditionally used, but the plants produce a lot of leaves that I let dry and make tea of.
I colect seeds from the largest plants with the largest roots, for sowing next year.
Good to know!
I appreciate your mention of using the leaves for tea! That is something I would like to try as I am in zone 4 in the US. It has been difficult finding info about the leaves.
Given one growing season, how much powder does the roots of a single plant yield? In other words, to use it medicinally, how many plants would you want growing at the same time to give you enough to last a year?
It’s hard to say. That depends on several factors. I did find this video that shows a root harvest that might give you an idea of how much to expect from a single plant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_kD-1iRUX8
Is Ashwagandha grown in full sun or can it grow in part shade? I am in zone 9.
It will grow best in full sun.
We grow ashwagandha here in northern Thailand. It takes a little longer to dry during the rainy season. The roots are the part that you want to use and yes they are bitter. Once they are dried, grind them up and I put the powder in capsules so I don’t have to taste it. It’s a fabulous adaptagen for a whole lot of things. I’ve been using it for years – long before it became popular. In order to assure that you are getting the best possible, I would definitely grow it yourself.
I live in Barbados, I purchased one Ashwagandha plant from MuddyBoots a plant nursery here.I have not planted it as yet because of the rains we are having, but I am looking forward to the progress it makes.
Hello. I can’t send seeds to you myself as I’m but I just checked and Strictly Medicinal Seeds online in the US have seeds in stock now. I had no problem growing Ashwaganda here, but I’m about zone 9-9B. I’m about to harvest the roots. 🙂 I had lots of fruit and have babies coming up in a pot that I just popped the semi dried berries into.. Oh, I believe that Ashwaganda is actually a cousin of tomatillos and tomatoes etc, being in the Solanaceae family, but I’ve read that the plant is inedible, so you dpn’t want to be eating those berries. .
Thanks for letting me know they’re in stock over at Strictly Medicinal Seeds and for your insight!
I bought my seeds from Strictly Medicinal Seeds online. I live in Arizona and right now (August) the plant is still very small (less than a foot tall). I grew it from seeds outside starting around May. We’ll see how much more it grows before the first frost and harvesting the roots. So far no flowers. I sure hope it works out.
How did it turn out?
It stayed very small but I went ahead and harvested what little roots I had from the plant and dried them. I’m going to try again this year. I’ve got some in the seed tray indoors right now under grow lights and heating mats. They haven’t germinated yet but I just planted them on March 5th. I will also try and plant some directly outside in May again this year.
Thank you!
Tracy
I am interested to see how they work out for you this year.
Thank you for the information, I will plant some and I am sure that here in Guadalajara, in spite of our altitude and cool “winters” that it will grow well. I will post results when I have some.
That sounds great! Looking forward to hearing how it goes.
I live in Norcal and just got my seeds should I start them in the house since its in the 90+ temps right now here? Also can they be pot grown? and are the roots the only medicinal part of the plants? what type of soil should I buy since the soil here it sand and rocky? Thanks Mark.
They just need a minimum soil temperature of 70 degrees to germinate. I would go ahead and plant them outside. Many people have had success growing them in pots. The roots are what is traditionally used medicinally. You should be able to use any kind of soil that you would typically use for growing other plants.
Are the red fruit new seeds? My plant is producing red fruit and I’m not sure what to do with them
The fruit from the Ashwagandha is not edible but that is where you will find the seeds.
Where can I find seeds for ashwagandha?
In USA?
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is my go to source for most of my seeds. Here’s a link to their
if it helps any, I purchased my ashwangha seeds from Baker Creek and my plants turned out great! I harvested the root last year and forgot about it in my garage. Am assuming it’s still ok to powder and eat?
I would say if it is still in root form then it should definitely still be good to powder. So glad your plants turned out so great.
Strictly Medicinal has a huge variety of seeds. They are a small family business. That’s where I get most of mine from and have always germinated.
Where can i purchase Ashwagandha? I live in northern Minnesota and have never seen it available around here.
I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s available in Minnesota. Have you looked for seeds online?
I just bought seeds from Mountain Rose herbs. $4.95 for 100 seeds. Can’t wait to try growing it.
Mountain Rose Herbs is now advertising for 50 seeds for $4.95. 🙁 Guess the word is getting out!
I ordered Ashwagandha plants from The Growers Exchange. They are doing extremely well here in southern Oklahoma. I believe The Growers Exchange is out of Virginia. http://www.thegrowers-exchange.com.
I am in MN as well. I had never seen it anywhere until I went to Two Harbors, MN and found a woman selling an unusual variety of 3 inch potted plants at the Two Harbors Farmers market. . I got Angelica and Borage from her also. The Ashwaganda grew very nicely but, just had to bring it in as the temps are getting cold at. I hope it will still produce berries so I can have some seeds.
You can take cuttings quite esasily.. I’m in the subtropics of Australia so Ashwaganda grows as easily as tomatoes do, but it acts as a short-lived perenial and sets seed almost as easily (mine do berry up every season!) but (conjecti=ure here on my part) I think the suggestion regarding the roots being harvested post-fruit development is possibly due to the more mature roots being more potent. Of course climate will disallow that full cycle in some areas, but if you take cuttings from an already almost mature plant then the new cutting-grown plants should already have that ‘age’, i think, and then it would simply be a matter of letting the roots gain physical size 🙂 And taking cuttings negates the need for seeds. 🙂
I am in Australia too, Victoria. Did you buy the seeds here or overseas. If you would share where you got them from I would be very grateful, Thank you
what do you do with the red berries? are those what you plant once you have dug up the plant for the roots? i am confused as to what other parts of the plant you use- the leaves, berries, or what- just the roots are beneficial? where are the seeds?
thank you
The seeds are inside the red berries, just squeeze them out and dry.
Thanks for the info! I live in north central Texas and I want to try growing Ashwagandha since I take the supplement. I have more confidence that I can do this.