Growing Ginger

Zingiber Officinale : Zingiberaceae / the ginger family

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

(Best months for growing Ginger in Australia - sub-tropical regions)

  • P = Plant root
  • Plant pieces of fresh root showing signs of shoots. Best planted at soil temperatures between 20°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 15 cm 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

Your comments and tips

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15 Feb 16, The Sunlander (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live in Brisbane and have grown gingers, both edible and non-edible types, for many years. They are very hardy plants and succeed very well when left alone. I see on various gardening web sites conflicting information re the cultivation - one site for instance says to plant in shade, never in full sun. My edible ginger grows happily in full sun!! I water mine because the soil dries out but a friend has his in pots and they grow just as well. So, give it a go. Buy good looking ginger in the supermarket, break the rhizome into several parts each with at least one bud on.
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09 Feb 16, Michelle (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I discovered ginger growing in amongst my celery this summer. Thriving! Very surprised to see it actually as i don't planting it. I am in Melbourne.
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14 Jan 16, Annie (Australia - tropical climate)
My ginger are shriveling up, its the 3rd yr. Should I cut off the green shoots with lieaves about 14
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11 Jan 16, grego! (Canada - Zone 6b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
This is my fourth year of owning a Ginger plant. It is a Beautiful plant and gows very well. I bought it at a supermarket in the produce section so I'm guessing it's edible? how if any way is it related to the red ginger plant that grown in parksduring summer months?
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01 Jan 16, Deby (Australia - tropical climate)
I'm in the Daintree rainforest and have put the tips of some ginger I bought at a local fruit and veggie wholesaler into a bucket with some drain holes drilled, filled with mixed mill mud and sand. All of the tips have spouted and looking really good with heaps of offshoots. I've watered them every day if it hasn't rained. I haven't pulled them up yet but after four months it's looking good.
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15 Jan 16, Bernie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Deby, I live in the Redlands area just outside of Brisbane and regularly grow ginger in my garden. Depending on how many plants you have in the pot they should be fine. I would recommend spacing them out at about one per 30 centimeters apart. You are doing the right thing keeping them watered but do not let them get waterlogged. Do not dig them up until the foliage has died down, around August/September. Then you can keep some for re-growing and the rest is for eating. It will freeze well and then just grate off what you need. DO NOT de-frost it as it will go to mush and be useless. It is also easy the dry and made into ground ginger. To dry it slice into 5cm pieces and dry in a dehumidifier. To grind it use a flour mill or a mortise and pestle.
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22 Dec 15, dominic costa (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
wanting to know if we can grow ginger in mildura, we are in victoria and new south wales border. red loamy soil .
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16 Mar 16, Vashti (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Dominic, I grew up in Mildura and it's definitely NOT a sub tropical climate as you've stated in your question. That being said, you can grow ginger in Mildura IF you grow it in pots, in Shade house (preferred from the extreme weather conditions, both heat and cold) AND you keep the water up to it, both the roots AND misted leaves. It ideally prefers a humid climate, Mildura being semi arid isn't ideal, but if you can keep it in a "damp" area you should be fine. I'm growing mind really successfully in Adelaide using the same principles.
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15 Dec 15, Noni (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live in Coorow and have gotten some of the tubers going that you buy at the supermarket. I have them by the window to green them up and want to plant out in the garden. Initially I had them in an old fridge with the freezer door ajar I also keep my potatoes in there and onions. the fridge has had its cord cut off....keeps fresh air in and keep it dark. the ginger shot and now am just about ready to put it in the garden. The shoots are quite green...no roots yes but they will come in the garden.
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16 Nov 15, Alan (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Ginger is easy, just make sure you have lots of compost/ mulch. Stick shooting Ginger in anywhere and leave it along. Friends grow it in Lithgow, so have a go.
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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!!!

- Rachael

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