Ashwagandha Seeds

Want to grow your own Ashwagandha? At Glen Seeds we have the seeds you need.

Ashwagandha has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for millennia and is believed to have a wide range of health benefits. 

The Ashwagandha plant grows remarkably easy and even though it prefers more tropical climates we grow Ashwagandha with success in Highveld conditions at Glen Seeds.

Note: Although the plants grow easy, germination can take time, up to 40 days

How to grow Ashwagandha plants from seed: Start of the tiny seeds in seed trays and transplant as soon as the plants are 4 to 7 cm high. Ashwagandha is not frost tolerant and requires a fair amount of time to reach maturity, therefore if you are in a winter frost area, it is best to start your Ashwagandha seeds early in spring.

We found that Ashwagandha does well in pots and plant bags, but you can of course just plant them in any planting bed. The plants make for nice greenery around the garden.

When is the plants right for harvest? Ashwagandha makes lots of tiny berry like fruits in husks similar to that of a gooseberry along the stems. When these has turned bright red and leaves start to turn yellow you can lift the plants to harvest the roots.

How do I process the roots? Wash roots off very well and make sure you get rid of all soil and sand. Do not peel the roots. Cut roots into chunks. You use all the roots, the thick main roots as well as the stringy side shoots to the main roots. Now you need to dry your ashwagandha roots. You can sun dry them or spread out in an airy indoors space. At Glen Seeds we put a fan on the roots for a day or so and then just leave them indoors for two weeks and they are perfectly dry. A food de hydrator will obviously work faster.  The roots has a very distinct strong smell to it, some say it smells a bit like horse.

When properly dry, grind down the roots to a fine powder and store in an airtight container. A strong grinder is required for this. At Glen Seeds we use a coffee grinder to powder Ashwagandha. If you are up for it you can keep to tradition and use a mortar and pestle.

Approximately 25 seeds