Do you grow? How to start your own Ginger Plant

Yesterday when I was searching for some garlic I had stashed, I found some ginger root given to me by a friend. It has started to shrivel and had sprouted....you know what that is perfect for??!? Growing your own ginger for a continuous supply!!

This ginger is at the perfect stage to plant!

It makes all kinds of sense to grow ginger. The rhizome (the part we eat and are using to grow a new plant) can be consumed fresh, dried, juiced, made into oil, tea or even candied. Ginger is famous for relieving nausea from illness, motion sickness, digestive problems and pain. It is used to fight off colds and flu. Some people eat ginger before a meal to support the gut and stoke the digestive fire! This ancient spice is nature's medicinal treasure chest.

Back to #doyougrow ginger? If not, you should, and can because it is really easy!

I don't have a ginger plant going right now to show you pics of, I planted mine outside last spring and dug most of it up to make our master tonic for this winter. I am not sure if it will come back in the spring....we are totally in the wrong zone here. I have read it won't overwinter in anything less than zone 8, so I am trying in the greenhouse this year with the ones I am starting today. Growing challenge accepted!

Ginger is a tropical plant so she loves a sheltered spot from wind, warm sunlight, warm weather, humidity, and rich, moist soil. Her dislikes include cold, direct sun, strong winds, frost and waterlogged soil. Don't worry, it is easier than it sounds to keep a ginger plant!

To start, get some ginger! If you can get a few fresh rhizomes from someone who does grow organic ginger do so, or you can purchase organic ginger from a market or sometimes garden centres carry it. Online is probably another good bet. Otherwise just buy some at the shops at that time. Look for plump, healthy, hydrated rhizomes and possibly with an eye or nodule or two starting to sprout.

Forgotten gifted ginger

Place it on a windowsill or other sunny spot and forget about it for a couple of weeks to a month or until the nodules start to grow a bit. They will be a yellow/pale green colour and the root itself will be starting to shrivel at this point. No worries, that's what we want.

Next step is cutting the ginger up. Have you ever planted potatoes? Same thing here...we want at least one eye per piece of rhizome. Make clean cuts with a sharp, sterile knife. Leave them out so the cut areas can dry out for a few hours before planting.

Nodules starting on the rhizome

Divide the rhizome with clean cuts using a sharp tool

Wounds after several hours are much drier and ready to plant

Grab some good potting soil if possible with some coco coir and perlite mixed in. Ginger loves moisture and prefers a continuous water supply. Since it is a rhizome, it likes to be planted near the surface. Nestle the ginger into the soil eyes looking up and gently cover the sides of the rhizomes with soil, but do not bury.

Add water to soil mix. I add a bit of perlite and coco coir to an organic soil

You want the soil to stick together but not be soaking wet

Fill your pots, pressing soil firmly. I used 4" pots because its what we have on hand, but some recommend a shallower container. I used these last year with great success

Now, nestle the ginger gently into the soil. Always plant with the nodule pointing up, do not bury the sprout in the soil!

Add extra soil to build up around the edges of the rhizomes, but do not bury it totally

All ready to grow! I will keep these in a tray with water and under a dome for about a month in the grow tent. When they are established a bit, they will get moved out into the grow room until the spring where they will go into the greenhouse

Dome it and bring on the humidity!

Now it is up to the ginger! You need to help it by trying to keep it as moist as possible. It grows in zones 8-10 so covering it with a dome to promote humidity or even keeping it a damp place will help it until the ginger is established a little. Once established (about a month) you can choose to fertilize. You can keep your ginger in a pot inside the home, or plant it out in the garden come spring.

If you are growing ginger root in the garden, you can steal a bit of ginger during the growing months by carefully digging at the edges of the clump. This is called green garlic and is fairly mild. The best time to harvest ginger is any time after the leaves have died down. This is usually around eight to ten months of growth. It is worth the wait. If you save and replant you can have a continuous supply by the third year! If you want to try to over winter ginger I would recommend heavily mulching or a plastic dome/low tunnel but really, if you want to ensure it's survival in Canada I would dig it up and bring it in. Maybe with a heated greenhouse......someday. #gardengoals 😉

Grow on little ginger!! Stay tuned for updates on these gals plus my fertilizing and care schedule for them until the spring!

#doyougrow ginger already or are you planning to? I would love to hear about it!

Thank you for reading! Take care of you and yours ❤