How to Grow Ginger

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

•Bypass Pruners

•Compost Makers

•Fertilizers

•Garden Spades

•Garden Trowels

•Planting Containers

•Potting Soil

•Ginger Roots
 
Growing Ginger in a Container


Step

1Buy fresh ginger roots at a grocery store or an Asian market. Look for fat tubers with numerous buds.

Step

2Plant ginger in spring when you can supply warm enough temperatures, whether indoors or out. The dormant tubers will sprout only when the mercury hits 75 to 85 degrees F.

Step

3Use a container that's about 14 inches across and 12 inches deep and has excellent drainage. This size will hold three average-size tubers comfortably.

Step

4Fill the container with potting soil enriched with plenty of compost.

Step

5Soak the tubers in warm water overnight, then set them in the pot just below the soil surface, spacing them evenly, with the buds facing up.

Step

6Set the container in light shade, indoors or out, depending on the temperature.

Step

7Water lightly at first, then more heavily when growth starts. Keep plants dry in winter, when they're dormant.

Step

8Move plants outside only when the temperatures have reached 50 degrees F. In cooler weather, growth can be stunted.

Step

9Shield plants from high winds, and move them indoors at the first sign of cool temperatures.

Step

10Expect plants to reach maturity, and a height of 2 to 4 feet, in 10 months to a year.

Step

11Dig up new, young sprouts that appear in front of the main plants (they form their own tubers), use what you need, and freeze or replant the rest.

Step

12Clip young, tender stems anytime.



Growing Ginger Outdoors in USDA Zone 10

Step

1Buy fresh ginger roots at a grocery store or an Asian market. Look for fat tubers with numerous buds.

Step

2Choose a lightly shaded site with rich, moist but well-drained soil. Work in plenty of compost to ensure the right combination.

Step

3Plant ginger in spring when temperatures are 75 to 85 degrees F. Soak the tubers in warm water overnight, then set them just under the soil surface with the buds facing up.

Step

4Water lightly at first, then more heavily when growth starts.

Step

5Shield plants from high winds, and cover them if temperatures dip lower than normal.

Step

6Expect plants to reach maturity, and a height of 2 to 4 feet, in 10 months to a year.

Step

7Dig up new, young sprouts that appear in front of the main plants (they form their own tubers), use what you need, and freeze or replant the rest.

Step

8Clip young, tender stems anytime.