Your comments and tips

14 Nov 19, Rachael (Australia - temperate climate)

Wash well & freeze-u can scrape the skin off with a teaspoon when frozen, or if the skin isn’t an issue, just grate with a box grater or similar

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17 Oct 19, Mr. Nic MILLS (Australia - temperate climate)

Dear Sir or Madam, Where in Australia can I buy HEIRLOOM GINGER PLANTS to go in my garden in Newcastle NSW ??? Thanks, Nic ( 0417 657 120 ) By mobile would be the best way to give me the info please.

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10 Dec 19, Rachael (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi! I live in Newcastle too! I know u mentioned u wanted heirloom ginger (I’m not sure u will get “Heirloom” ginger as such-there are several different varieties of edible ginger though). I just bought mine from the supermarket (if u wanted, u could look for organic ginger in supermarket/farmers market etc.) with signs of tiny shoots (u want to make sure of this as sometimes they can be treated with chemicals that prevent shooting-although it seems producers are not using these chemicals as much these days). If u didn’t want to go the supermarket route, u could try Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery (Kyogle, NSW-they have a mail order service & lots of unusual/rare/interesting fruit/herb/spice plants-I find it near impossible not to buy something when I visit the site!). I’m fairly sure greenharvest.com.au has them. Diggers (Dromana, VIC) may also be another possibility. I just did a quick search “buy edible ginger NSW Australia” & got several hits. I left the rhizome out of the soil for a couple of weeks to let the shoots develop more, then planted it. I would buy your ginger a couple of weeks prior to the beginning of spring so it has time to shoot before planting in early spring, as ginger dies back a couple of weeks into winter in Newcastle. You could bring your plant inside for winter if it’s a possibility for you, as it would allow continuous growth-I would probably have a pretty impressive plant by now if I was able to bring mine inside, as Newcastle winters make the plant completely dormant & slows its growth significantly with it having to “come back” each year. Make sure u water minimally over winter, or your rhizome will rot & not reshoot. I wish I had known that ginger dies back in winter here early on, as my first planting died because I planted it in the middle of summer. It just didn’t get enough growth on to make it through the winter and reshoot! I also suggest you don’t harvest it for at least a couple of years, to get the plant really established (as it takes a LOT out of the plant to reshoot each year). I’ve had mine for about 3 years, & it’s successfully “come back” after 2 winters now. I haven’t harvested anything yet, and don’t plan to for another year or so, just to make sure. I grow mine in a big pot, & it’s quite happy in partial shade (I live in a block of flats). Recently, I saw a YouTube video describing a different method of growing ginger that results in better/quicker production-I think I’m going to give it a go! I think I would start this process around mid winter, so plants have spring/summer to get going before winter. 1. Place the rhizome in a container of moist soil, just barely covered (you still need to be able to see the tuber and what it’s doing) 2. Let it shoot. 3. When the shoots are at least a couple of centimetres long(the bigger the better), the base of the shoot should have a bulbous appearance (yellowish in colour) with little bumps on it that will become roots. 4. When there is a decent number of bumps/developing roots, break this off the rhizome (it should break off easily), and plant so the bulbous part of the shoot is well covered (at least 3cm deep-but depends on size of shoot). Don’t plant too deep, or the shoot could rot. You can always add more soil as the shoot grows to ensure the tuber is well covered. 5. Replant the rhizome and wait for the next shoot, repeating the process until the rhizome doesn’t produce anymore shoots. I would probably try planting the “mother” rhizome as well, as u have nothing to loose-it may grow as well! You could buy several rhizomes at the same time & follow this method-it would result in more plants, just in case some don’t make it through their first winter. Apparently this is a method that many commercial growers use for higher/faster production. Goodluck!!!

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14 Feb 20, Linda (Australia - tropical climate)

Hi Rachael, thank you for your detail explanation on growin ginger. It has given me new info and I will try your suggestion as it sounds like a more economical way to do it considering the cost of organic ginger, from the supermarket, which is what I used last year. Cheers Linda

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18 Oct 19, anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I suggest you do some searching on the internet. If you can't find any go to your supermarket/green grocer and buy some.

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16 Oct 19, John (Australia - temperate climate)

I’d like to grow ginger in planter boxes in a full sun location. Sydney NSW location. Does ginger tolerate warm to hot soil situations?

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24 Mar 20, Mary (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have been growing ginger successfully in a planter box for 5 years now since I downsized to an apartment in Sydney. I started with cutting off part of store bought ginger with buds and plant in the planter box early Spring. With filtered sun and water they soon grew lot of leaves. I harvest the ginger once a year in winter when the leaves turned yellow and dried. Cut off the rhizome and bury the smaller ones back to the planter box. By next spring they will re-shoot again. I do sometimes pull one plant out (when I need it) and cut off a chunk off the rhizome then place the rest of the plant back to the plant box, cover with soil. The ginger harvested before maturity has milder flavor.

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20 Jun 21, Mosushi (Australia - tropical climate)

Hi Mary, after you bury small rhizomes in planters in winter, how often do you water or do you water?

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19 Nov 19, Gary (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

John I feel as long as they have plenty of soil and water. I grow mine in a double bucket arrangement and I do better than a guy up in budrem in the ground. I get about 1.4 to 1.9 kgs per bucket hope this helps. Gary P.s. I'm on Mid Nth Coast region.

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18 Oct 19, anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Read the notes here about growing it. The first short sentence.

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