Stevia Crop Production begins in Southeastern U.S. States

Georgia and North Carolina should be good for stevia production. They are far enough north for long summer days, producing rapid growth and leaf yield. They have a long growing season, while winters are mild enough that plants might live through the winter, even though winter growth will be minimal because of short day lengths that time of year.

Natural Sweetener Producer Sweet Green Fields Expands U.S. Stevia Crop Production to Southeastern States - MarketWatch:

Sweet Green Fields, a leading US-based global producer of high purity stevia extracts, today announced the expansion of its stevia crop production to the Southeast United States, with crop plantings in Georgia and North Carolina.

Stevia goldmine? NPR features stevia

National Public Radio put together an interesting story about the efforts of S&W seeds to grow stevia on a large scale in California. Most stevia is currently harvested by hand from small plots in Asia and South America. They interviewed Clint Shock, one of the researchers who first collected stevia plants from the wild decades ago. NPR also interviewed a "psychologist of taste" about the unique taste profile of stevia and efforts to improve it's taste. People become accustomed to a particular type of sweetness and tend to react negatively when it's not what they expected. In my family, we've grown used to the taste of green and white stevia powder over time. Now it seems normal to us, at least in some recipes. And we have always preferred stevia over sugar for herbal tea. We think a tea made by steeping stevia leaves in hot water actually has a superior taste compared to sweetening with sugar. That goes for straight stevia tea or using stevia leaves mixed with other herbs such as mint.
California's Stevia Growers Bet On Fast Track To Sweetener Success : The Salt : NPR:

It's stevia time! At least that's what food industry newsletters are saying. Regulatory barriers that once blocked many uses of this all-natural sweetener have fallen. The European Union approved the use of stevia in food late last year. In the U.S., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave stevia a green light in 2008. Sales are soaring.

Farmer sells stevia locally in the Phillipines

The article excerpted below mentions that a grower in the Phillipines (Mrs. Maura de Leon of Tambobong, Bocaue, Bulacan) discovered optimum results from growing several stevia plants per hill instead of single plants spaced apart. She and neigbors grow about 3.5 hectares (about 8.6 acres). She sells stevia in the local market. Optimum production techniques will vary by location. The Phillipines is a tropical climate, for instance, with particular soil types. But it is likely that farmers around the world could use a similar marketing and production plan, employing local farmers and selling to local consumers.
January Agriculture Magazine now out The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online:

She found out that growing several plants per hill instead of single plants has been the key to her success in growing the stevia. She has now taught neighbors to grow for her so that there are 20 neighboring families who have been taught to grow the plant for her. About 3.5 hectares are now planted to stevia which are her source of materials for processing. Her product can now be found in the local market.

How To Make Your Own Stevia Extract

This article tells how to make a liquid stevia extract with water or vodka. Take a look!
How To Make Your Own Stevia Extract - Survival Blog With A Family Focus:

Most of us can’t grow sugar in our back yard, but growing stevia is a completely different story.

Interview on Stevia as a Houseplant in Columbus Post Dispatch

I was recently interviewed by Denise Trowbridge for an article in the Columbus Post Dispatch entitled Growing Stevia from Seed Produces Sweet Reward. A couple of my photos are featured as well. If you are a successful stevia grower or would like to begin selling stevia plants or leaf in your area, perhaps at farmer’s markets, you might consider pitching a story idea to your local newspaper. The topic fits well for cooking, culinary, gardening, and general lifestyle categories. A nice potted stevia plant can be helpful. Offer the reporter a leaf to taste, and a photo opportunity with the plant. The St. Joseph News Press ran a nice story on stevia a while back, featuring me and my stevia plant. Adventurous gardeners really go for this plant when they find out about it. There’s no other sweet treat quite like it. The Stevia Grower Newsletter is written by Jeffrey Goettemoeller for Prairie Oak Publishing. Jeffrey is an author, publisher, and horticulturalist. He sells stevia books and seeds at www.growingstevia.com. These articles are archived at http://steviagrower.blogspot.com/. Do you have a stevia question? Email me at prairieoakpub@gmail.com and I might answer it in a future edition of this newsletter.

Stevia approval as a food ingredient in the EU

Certain stevia glycosides had already been approved as food additives in the U.S. European approval adds another large market for sugar-free foods and beverages. Hopefully increased use of stevia will free up more of the sugar cane crop for use as biofuels. Stevia can be grown on land unsuitable for sugar cane or field corn. It can also yield more sweetening power per acre than sugar cane can deliver.
Stevia approval will accelerate existing trend towards low calorie drinks, Wild: A regulation allowing the sale and use of steviol glycosides was published in the Official Journal of the EU on November 12, and will enter into force 20 calendar days from that date, meaning that stevia-based products could appear on sale as early as December 2.

Overwintering Stevia Plants

It’s getting cold here in the Midwest—time to bring in the stevia plants before our first hard freeze. As far north as USDA plant hardiness zone 8, stevia plants can usually survive winter in the field. The tops might die back, but the roots can survive as long as the ground does not freeze. Mulch can help prevent frozen ground.

I harvested my stevia plants more than a month ago, in September, leaving stubs of 4 to 5 inches in length. The plants have sprouted back somewhat, and we’ve had some frosts at night. That’s OK, because stevia tops can withstand a few degrees below freezing in the fall. Even if the tops are damaged, the roots can survive. But the soil will eventually freeze here. Therefore I dug a few plants for overwintering on this late October day. I square plastic used pots that are 4 inches in diameter and several inches deep. The pots should have drainage holes. If a plant is too big, the crown may be divided into two plants. A standard potting mix for houseplants will work just fine, usually including peat and vermiculite or perlite. You can even mix in a small percentage of garden soil.

The plants might survive in a sunny window. They will not grow much because of the short winter day lengths, but the roots will probably survive anyway, and sprout back when days grow longer in the spring. I prefer to keep my plants under a fluorescent shop light left on about 15 hours per day. A timer is helpful. Stevia plants thrive with the longer light period. Short days trigger more blossoming and less leaf growth. Blossoming is more stressful for the plants already weakened from being transplanted. Keep the soil moist as you would for any houseplant. Added fertilizer will probably not be needed. Slow growth is best. Stems may be harvested when they get long and lanky.  

It’s also possible to overwinter stevia roots by packing them in moist soil or peat moss and placing them in a basement or root cellar where it stays cool, but not below freezing. The survival rate may not be as high, but it is less work. The roots will remain more or less dormant until you dig them up in the spring.

Do you have a stevia question? Email Jeff at prairieoakpub@gmail.com and I might answer it in a future edition of this newsletter.

The Stevia Grower Newsletter is written by Jeffrey Goettemoeller for Prairie Oak Publishing. Jeffrey is an author, publisher, and horticulturalist. He sells stevia books and seeds at www.growingstevia.com.