Spice Up Your Space: A Guide to Growing Fresh Ginger at Home
Ginger
(Zingiber officinale)
Growing your own ginger is not only fun and rewarding, but it can also be a great way to have a fresh supply of this popular spice right in your own home. Ginger is a tropical herb that is native to Southeast Asia and is known for its pungent, spicy flavor and fragrant flowers. It is a perennial plant that grows from a rhizome, which is an underground stem. While you can buy ginger from the grocery store and use it for cooking, you can also use it to grow your own ginger plant at home.
To get started, you will need to purchase organic ginger from the grocery store. This is important because ginger that has been treated with growth inhibitors may not sprout.
Fun fact: Ginger is related to turmeric and cardamom!
Setup
Supplies:
- Organic ginger
- Bowl of water
- Potting soil
- 4” container
Step 1:
Once you have your ginger, you will need to prepare it for planting by snapping off segments that have at least one "eye," which is the small bud that will eventually grow into a new plant.After you have prepared your ginger segments, let them dry out for about 24 hours.
Below: the circular calluses on the tips of the ginger are called the "eye"
Below: The ginger is separated and allowed to callus over
Step 2:
After letting them dry out and callous over, soak them in water for another 24 hours. This will help speed up the sprouting process.
Step 3:
Once your ginger segments have soaked, you can plant them in a 4" pot filled with potting soil. Place the ginger about ½" below the surface of the soil. Ginger grows horizontally rather than vertically and needs enough space in order to grow properly.
Step 4:
Once you place the ginger in the container of your choice, water it well. Ginger likes warm conditions, so make sure you place the pot in a warm, sunny location.
Step 5:
It's important to keep the soil moist at all times until the ginger begins to sprout, which can take anywhere from 1-4 weeks. Once the ginger has sprouted, you will see a small green shoot that looks like a tall blade of grass. Keep watering your ginger regularly and wait until the sprout is about six inches tall before placing it outside if the weather is above 60 degrees F.
Step 6:
Ginger can take about a year to harvest, so be patient and enjoy the strong ginger-scented stem and flowers! If you don't want to harvest the ginger and instead keep it as an ornamental plant, just let it keep growing and size up the pot if the plant gets too cramped.
Growing your own ginger is a fun and rewarding experience that can help you have a fresh supply of this popular spice right in your own home. Whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting out, ginger is a great plant to add to your collection.