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 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

Your comments and tips

24 Jan 22, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
If in pots they need more regular fertilising, Go by the label.
26 Nov 21, Dir.k klyn (Australia - temperate climate)
Any body growing black ginger it comes from thailand china areas
07 Dec 21, (Australia - temperate climate)
Check out seed selling web sites to see if any sell them.
11 Sep 21, Sandra BOND (Australia - temperate climate)
what is the botanical name for the ginger that is best grown in warm temperate Sydney (Gardenate : Zingiber Officinale)
03 Jan 22, Brenda Groffen (Australia - temperate climate)
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.
30 Jul 21, Ravina (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi, I got half acre ginger in ground, and didn’t looks much better, Can we leave that in ground for next time picking or pulling ? Please advice.
28 Jul 21, john massey (Australia - tropical climate)
I am planting ginger now in central Queensland -have done for a few years now-i plant in an area that will give some shade /relief from the summer sun -my seasons are changing almost every year by just a bit -rain does not always come when you need it and when it does it floods (seems to be way at moment) so I have gone with soil temperature as the best guide as all the planting guides are quite often only a just that -A guide-also have installed raised beds and have pipe over the top which I cover to deflect constant heavy rains from drowning plant and leaching soil of nutrients....constant and never-ending change keeps me on my toes..cheers John
17 Jul 21, marco (Australia - tropical climate)
when should i look at putting ginger root into the ground.i live on the gold coast queensland.
20 Jul 21, Narendra Sen (Australia - temperate climate)
August/September is fine. In fact you could put them in the ground anytime now. I did it a week back as a trial and I can see the eyes are very prominent. So the germination process has begun. I am in SE Qld.
04 Sep 21, marco (Australia - tropical climate)
hi .i live on the gold coast a back yard garden have set aside about 1 metre area for my ginger. i have spent the last 2 months mixing soil with leaf and grass clippings . light water system everyday. i went to my local green grocer and picked up some really nice ginger at a better price by 10 dollars a kilo. from main players ! today being 04/09/2021 i planted my ginger less than a inch down and then put organic sugar cane inch thick over the top then i put some blood and bone over the top . i hope i get some good ginger.i will let everyone know if it works out .fingers crossed
Showing 31 - 40 of 254 comments

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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