How is ginger grown

Make sure the pot is well-draining, and the soil is a rich, fertile, absorbent variety — not dry or sandy. When you first shift your plant to the indoors, having those easy-to-move pots is very helpful in finding that perfectly warm spot where this exotic herb can hang out — until warmer times.

You can move it effortlessly to a new spot, and see how it fares. Try a four-season porch, greenhouse , or even a low-tunnel or high-tunnel in a shady spot. Caring for your potted spice is so simple. Once temperatures climb above freezing again, all you have to do is set your plant out on the stoop or porch.

Like those in pots, make sure you plant your newly-purchased rhizome in fertile, well-draining soil that absorbs water well. Getting the temperature turned up enough for your plant to really thrive is only the beginning.

After you get its warmth and comfort just right, there are a couple other things to consider:. Keep your plants or pots out of full sun — consider putting them in the shade of a tree , or under a shadow-casting cloth.

The wonderful thing about growing it in temperate areas is that you can harvest some of the rhizome straight from the pot to your kitchen — without causing harm to the plant at all.

The most common way: just dig it up. Rinse away all of the dirt under cold running water, and go ahead and use it. With this method, you will need to grow multiple plants, or start again with a new starter rhizome if you want continual harvests.

To keep the rhizome alive: feel all the way down the above-ground shoot with your fingers, to the rhizome under the soil. Measuring at least two inches away from where the stalk meets the rhizome, cut away the rest of the root that is growing away from the plant. Essentially, you want to leave two inches of the rhizome with stalk intact, and it will continue to grow. You can use these cut portions in your cooking, while keeping the plant alive for future harvests! With time, you could have quite a few pots of this exotic spice!

At this point, you could just eat what you cut away. But you can also take each new stalk of ginger that you have split off and replant it in another pot, or in your garden. Long story short, yes, you can grow ginger practically anywhere. All it takes is a little finesse, a green thumb, diligence, and a sharp eye on weather changes for your local climate. See our TOS for more details. Product photo via Burpee. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. Last updated May 10, With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.

She aims to bridge the world of natural, holistic health and nutrition to the realm of organic foods, herbalism, gardening, and sustainability - or "Food as Medicine" - throughout her writing.

The Zingiber officinal actually naturally goes dormant, no matter what your winter temperatures are. The dormancy period is triggered by shorter hours of daylight, along with cooler temperatures. In its native country, the winter is the dry season, dormancy is how they survive the drought period. When your Z. We advise bringing your ginger in during the winter, and storing in a dry and warm location. Your ginger will develop a stronger taste if allowed to develop in the ground.

After eight months of planting, and after the stems die, dig up the ginger rhizome. Ginger is an essential ingredient in cooking, a spice that is a vital part of Oriental dishes, as well as in cakes and Choose your ginger plant To grow ginger from home, you simply begin by picking up ginger root from a grocery store. Related products. Buy now. Related articles. Common ginger, root ginger Zingiber officinale Ginger is an essential ingredient in cooking, a spice that is a vital part of Oriental dishes, as well as in cakes and Read more.

How to start growing herbs in your garden Herbs are one of the best plants to grow when you have a nice bit of sunshine to enjoy. The herb and spice World map Just where in the world do all the amazing herbs we use come from? As the weather cools, reduce watering. This will encourage the plants to form underground rhizomes. In dry areas, mist or spray plants regularly. Always avoid overwatering. Figure 2. Harvest ginger by digging up the entire plant.

Ginger can be harvested by digging up the entire plant Fig. Although it may be harvested at any stage of maturity, the best time is when the plant is 8 to 10 months old.

After harvest, choose rhizomes for replanting and replant them promptly. Store fresh ginger in the refrigerator or freezer. If left unpeeled, it can keep for up to 3 weeks in refrigeration or up to 6 months frozen.

Ginger is a good source of copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and vitamin B6. Over time it will become a dense clump and very slowly get bigger, but only if it isn't harvested. A 14 inch pot easily holds three average rhizomes, a rectangular styrofoam box holds about nine to a dozen. And if you want to plant a whole hectare order - kg. Ginger needs a lot of moisture while actively growing. The soil should never dry out. Don't overwater, though, because the water that drains away will take nutrients with it.

Ginger loves humidity. If you have problems with dry air then regular spraying and misting might help. Dry air can cause problems with spider mites. But that's rather a problem for people who try to grow ginger out of its range and indoors.

A sheltered, moist spot in a warm climate will provide enough humidity. It helps to keep the ground moist, it helps feed the ginger as the mulch breaks down, and it also keeps down weeds. Ginger is a slow growing plant and easily overgrown by others. Reduce the water, even let the ground dry out. This encourages the ginger to form rhizomes.

Once all the leaves have died down your ginger is ready for harvest. If you are growing ginger in good, rich soil it shouldn't need anything extra. I grow mine in tubs. I put in fresh compost mix every year and never add any extra fertiliser. If you don't have good soil, or if you are growing ginger in some standard bought potting mix, then you have to feed it regularly.

You will also have to feed it if you are growing ginger in an area that gets torrential summer rains many tropical regions do. Such rains leach all the goodness from the soil. Work in some organic slow release fertiliser at planting time. After that you can use some liquid fertiliser like seaweed extract or fish fertiliser every few weeks. If you are growing ginger root in the garden you can start stealing little bits of it once it is about four months old.

Just dig carefully at the side of a clump. The best time to harvest ginger is any time after the leaves have died down. Usually it takes eight to ten months to get to that point. You can now dig up the whole plant. The reason that I grow my ginger in tubs is that it makes the harvest so easy.

I don't have to dig, I just tip out the whole thing.