Spicy, warm, and full of zing, ginger is a powerhouse in the kitchen and a healing hero in natural medicine. From boosting immunity to aiding digestion, ginger adds bold flavour to teas, soups, and stir-fries alike. The best part? With a bit of care, you can grow this golden gem right at home.
Ginger is a tropical plant, and it’s fairly hard to grow in regions that are less warm and humid. But there are options and methods that will let you propagate this culinary speciality herb at home.
Finding a root and the right spot
Ginger is not really a root, but rhizomes. So, first, you’ll need to locate some ginger rhizomes at a local store or market.
Good Housekeeping has some tips on finding the best ginger root to start with.
Buy a piece of ginger the size of your thumb with several bumpy nodules at the tips — these are the buds. Opt for plump chunks, not those withering in their skin.
Skin on the delicate buds should be thinner and lighter coloured; skip the pieces with darkened buds.
Ginger needs to be planted close to the surface. Gardener’s Path recommends finding a large pot to keep in a sunny spot in your kitchen, or a patch of your garden that is in full to partial shade with rich, loamy, and well-draining soil for planting.
Whether you grow your ginger root in a pot or the ground, you do need really good soil to start with. It needs to be rich enough to feed your ginger (you can always add some compost), it needs to hold enough moisture so it doesn’t dry out, but it needs to be free draining so the ginger roots don’t become waterlogged.
First growing steps
Some gardeners recommend soaking the rhizomes in water overnight. That’s not a bad idea, since shop-bought ginger might have been treated with a growth retardant.
Growing ginger doesn’t take up much room at all. Every root you plant will first only grow a few leaves, in one spot. Over time, it will become a dense clump and very slowly get bigger.
You can cut or break up the ginger rhizomes into little pieces with a couple of growing buds each. Or just plant the whole thing. Tropical Permaculture advises planting your ginger root five to ten centimetres deep, with the growing buds facing up.
Water well after planting, and leaves should emerge above the ground after about one week.
Planting timeline and harvesting
Plant your ginger during spring, as early as possible once it starts getting warmer.
Ginger is ready to harvest within approximately ten months. Harvest your ginger in the spring or summer of the year following planting. You will notice the leaves begin to turn yellow, which will signify that it is ready to harvest.
Simply pull the ginger plant directly from the soil. Break the foliage off the ginger root and bring the root inside.
Just make sure the soil around your ginger plants stays dry and drained. What ginger can’t stand is frost, direct sun, strong winds, and soggy, waterlogged soil.
It’s possible to get quite a stock of plants up and running from one single root, so you can have ginger all year, or share the love by giving some away to your friends!
This story was first published by our sister publication, Food For Mzansi.
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