Growing Ginger
How To Grow Ginger In the Garden Or Indoors
Learn Growing Ginger in your garden or indoors. Try growing ginger root in pots or in a sheltered plot outside.
Try these gardening tips for growing this exotic spice. It grows easily from a leftover piece of ginger root!
Ginger is the rhizome on the root part of the Zingiber officinale plant and is a popular herb. Cultivating ginger is an easy way to have ready access to a
supply of this great spice that you can use for cooking or even for its medicinal properties.
Ginger originally comes from Asia, where it is still heavily cultivated today. The five biggest commercial producers of ginger are:
India, China, Indonesia, Nepal and Nigeria.
Even though ginger is a native plant to Asia, it is easy to grow and once established it does not require much assistance.
How To Grow Ginger
The perfect conditions for planting ginger are hot and wet with a short dry season. This climate in many parts of Asia is ideally suited to this, but that
does not mean that you cannot grow it.
The ideal conditions are:
- Annual rainfall over 150cm
- Temperatures over 30oC
- Short dry season
- Deep fertile soil
- Sheltered
Few of us are lucky enough to have a garden with these conditions, but it is still possible to grow ginger if you do not. You will be able to grow it
indoors or in a glasshouse.
Ginger, like most tropical plants, does not like bad conditions, including:
- Frost
- Direct sun
- Strong winds
- Soggy, waterlogged soil
Try to avoid these conditions if you plant it outside. If you are growing ginger indoors remember to move the plant if it is in a location where it might
get too cold in winter.
Soil Preparation For Growing Ginger Root
To get the best results for your ginger, try to use rich soil that is moist but drains well. Adding fertilizer will improve the soil quality and enhance
the growth of the ginger.
Propagation
The easiest way to get hold of a ginger plant is to break the little "finger" end pieces off a root of ginger. The best ones are those with a shoot bud
developing. These look like a small pyramid horn at the end of the root.
Other ways are to divide an existing ginger plant or use fresh ginger root that
you can buy from your local market or supermarket. The roots will shoot readily.
Try to take at least a two inch length of root for the best results.
Cultivation
Take these pieces and plant them bud upwards in an eight inch pot of loam-based compost. Keep this pot warm and constantly moist throughout the growing
season. Make sure that the pot will drain well to stop the ginger roots becoming water logged.
Once it is growing then you can feed it with a general pot-plant feed every two or three weeks. When you are successfully growing ginger then you might
need to transfer the plant to a 14 inch pot to give it enough room to grow.
Growing ginger requires a lot of water, but only during the summer growing phase. Once the weather starts to cool down in late summer, the ginger will
start to die back. At this point, reduce the water and this will encourage the ginger to form rhizomes. When the leaves are all dead, the ginger is ready
for harvest.
Harvesting Ginger
In the garden, you can start to harvest ginger after it is about four months old. The easiest way to do this is to dig carefully at the side of a clump.
However, the best time is when the leaves have died down usually after about eight to ten months of growth.
At this point you can dig up the entire plant.
This ginger will have a lot more flavor than the younger plants.
Pests and Diseases
Ginger plants are easy to grow as long as they are not affected by pests or diseases. One of the best ways to avoid trouble is to leave some space between
plants to reduce the chance of contamination. Inspect the plants on a regular basis for signs of infestation.
Spider mites can be a problem to ginger in dry climates. If you find a plant that is under attack, wash the mites off with a hose and keep it moist to stop
them coming back.
Growing ginger is a great way to have your own supply of the rhizomes that you can use whenever you need it. This way you can use your own plants to add
great flavors to your cooking or for its medicinal uses.
Gardening With Little Miss Greenfingers
Growing Culinary Herbs - Healthy & Delicious
Are you interested in growing culinary herbs? Check out Little Miss Greenfingers Book on Growing Culinary Herbs In Containers! You will find loads
of useful and easy to follow information that will make growing herbs a success for you. This book is available in the
Amazon Kindle Store and on Smashwords. Download now and start growing herbs like a pro!
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Growing Culinary Herbs In Containers - Healthy&Delicious!!
