Growing Ginger

Zingiber Officinale : Zingiberaceae / the ginger family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec

Not recommended for growing in USA - Zone 5a regions

  • Plant pieces of fresh root showing signs of shoots. Best planted at soil temperatures between 68°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 6 inches apart
  • Harvest in approximately 25 weeks. Reduce water as plant dies back to encourage rhizome growth.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Grow in separate bed
  • Ginger plant
  • Ginger ready to harvest
  • Ginger root
  • New shoots of ginger

Ginger is a warm climate plant. It can be grown indoors in pots in cool/temperate areas. To grow well it needs lots of water and nutrients. Prepare the soil by adding compost which will retain some moisture but not get saturated. Add a small amount of sand to ensure drainage. Water regularly in summer to keep moist. In a pot, in addition to watering to keep moist, water ginger about once a fortnight with a seaweed or other liquid fertilizer. This perennial will die down in autumn. Remove the dead leaves. In spring lift the root clumps and break them up into smaller pieces to replant.

Harvesting Ginger: You can harvest ginger root after the plant dies down in winter, digging around the plant to cut off a piece of the older root. The young root with shoots is the actively growing plant and should be left to resprout.

You can also carefully dig down under the plant through the growing season to cut off bits of the older root for use, just be careful not to disturb the rest of the plant too much.

Let plants become well established before harvesting - it is often best to wait until the second growing season.

Make sure that you have edible ginger. Ginger plants sold in nurseries are usually decorative varieties and not suitable for eating.

Ginger can be grown in pots. The best growing temperature is around 25 - 30 C (75 - 85 F)

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Ginger

Ginger root freezes well either whole or grated, and can be used direct from the freezer in most recipes requiring fresh ginger.

Your comments and tips

Be the first to post a question or tip from the USA

We live in the Spencer Gulf area of South Australia, we have been growing Jarvanese Ginger for 5 years in a large 50ltre pot, in an acid potting mix. The ginger family has a large range, the familiar variety that is at the store when grown has a narrow leaf, where the curcumin, types have a broader leaf. The variety we have grown is known as SPECIES- Curcuma-Zanthorrhiza, FAMILY-Zingiberates,GENUS-Curcuma: Known as "Temulawak"-Jarvanese ginger it has broad leaves and grows 2 to 3 mitre in a pot, has a beautiful lavender flower when it blooms, requires high humidity and well shaded. We have it underneath banana palms in a pond area, plenty of water in the growing period, in a well draining pot. It has been in bloom since beginning of december. Once you have it growing well do not disturb it for at least 4 years, once the ginger plant dies down just keep the pot slightly moist until the shoots come through again at the begining of summer it is usually the last ginger plant to come through. To harvest just move the mulch to show the root and gently remove a piece, do not dig it up they do not like being disturbed, they live just below the surface under the top of the soil, they really are a pampered pet for us, as we live in a dry arid area, we keep it for its beauty not for eating it is too delicate. I hope thus helps you in your quest.

- Brenda Groffen

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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