Knobs of ginger root sold at grocery stores are not only expensive, but you rarely need all of it. That means the part you didn't use just got wasted!
What if I told you that you can grow plenty of ginger in your home garden or in a pot, use what you need, let the rest keep growing, and end up with a product so high-quality that you will never go to the store for it again?!
It’s true; ginger is super rewarding and easy to grow! I’ve had great success and want to share my know-how on when to plant, how to grow ginger, how long it will take until harvest, and everything else you need to know.
MIgardener Complete Growing Guide Series
This is yet another of our Complete Growing Guides, adding to the series. If you enjoy this guide and learn something from it, then you’ll probably love all the rest of them!
We’ve got detailed guides on how to grow horseradish, how to grow carrots, how to grow herbs, how to grow sweet potatoes, how to grow radishes, how to grow garlic, even how to forage and grow Jerusalem artichokes, and so many more! If there is something that you want to grow that we don’t have a growing guide for, let us know what growing guide you’d like to see in the comments box below or on our Facebook page.
Why Grow Your Own Ginger
Ginger is a versatile spice that can be added to both sweet and savory dishes. It is also known for its medicinal properties, including its ability to reduce inflammation and aid digestion. The fresher the ginger, the more flavorful, nutritious, and juicy it will be.
Growing it at home is a great way to have a steady supply of fresh ginger on hand for cooking and medicinal purposes. You can try different ways to use ginger, such as making ginger tea, ginger juice, ginger pickles, ginger chutney, and ginger marinade, among others.
Start growing your own ginger today so you can enjoy the benefits of fresh ginger all year round.
When to Plant Ginger
Plant ginger very early in the year; February is best for the best yield. By planting early, you will get a good jump start. I like to get it in the soil early, even if that means putting it in a pot on a sunny windowsill or under grow lights.
Ginger is a tropical plant and does not do well at temperatures in the 30s and 40s. It will tolerate it for a bit, but it will not tolerate a freeze or frost.
You can start it directly outside, but it will take a lot longer to get growing. If you live in a place with a short growing season, that will be a bit tricky, but ginger will grow just about anywhere as long as you give it warmth and enough time.
How to Start Ginger From Store-Bought
Some root crops, like ginger, sweet potatoes, and turmeric can be started at home. Its much easier than you might guess.
To start ginger (and turmeric or sweet potatoes), you will need two propagation trays or two washtubs, a quality seed starting mix, water, and roots. Surprisingly, roots purchased from any grocery store work great as long as you buy organically grown to avoid sprout inhibitors and chemicals.
Choose Roots - When forcing ginger, choose organic roots that are light in color with plump, shiny new growth. The tips should be nice and firm, not dried and wrinkly. If you scrape the ginger root with your fingernail, it should show green under the skin; you don’t want it to look white or yellow. Avoid ginger with lots of dried, raisiny-looking skin, as those often lack enough moisture to be viable.
Fill a Tray with Rich Soil - Get a propagation tray and fill it with quality seed starting mix.
Moisten the Soil - Moisten the soil with water until it is damp but not so wet that you can wring water out of it by squeezing it.
Add the Root Crops - Lay the ginger on its side in the soil, and wiggle it down until it is level with the soil surface.
Cover the Tray - Because the roots do like darkness, flip the second propagation tray upside down and use it to cover the filled tray for the first couple of weeks.
Check - Check on it about once a week, keeping the soil damp. Pro-Tip: Do not overwater or the tubers will rot! The soil should stay just damp.
Watch For Sprouts - You should start to see sprouts in 2 to 3 weeks. At that point, you can remove the cover to let in the light
Grow - Let them grow for a couple weeks after sprouting. Then plant them in the garden.
(Use this guide to learn how to grow sweet potatoes in containers if you start sweet potato slips too.)
Soil Needs
The soil you want when growing ginger is very loose, very fertile soil. You want the roots to be able to expand, and really compacted soil will restrict that.
If your soil is heavy clay or sandy, you can amend it with compost to improve the drainage and fertility. You can even grow ginger in pure compost amended with a little perlite, or in a very well-draining potting mix with good fertility and a good amount of perlite.
How to Plant Ginger
You can plant your ginger right in the garden if you want, but I find it does best for me in containers. The reason is that it needs a little more time than my growing season can allow.
Pro-Tip: Ginger does well in containers, but don’t make the mistake of planting it in a container that is too narrow. Ginger does not grow down deep; it grows out flat! A narrow container will stunt growth.
Follow these steps to plant:
Sunlight - Ginger does not like full sun but prefers partial sun. Any more than 5 to 7 hours of sun will begin to burn the leaves. It makes a terrific understory crop beneath plants that provide some shade. Intercropping is a great way to grow more food in less space, so keep that in mind when choosing a planting location!
Temperature - It grows best at temperatures between 60° and 100°F and will not tolerate frost.
Space - Give ginger space for the roots to grow out unobstructed. A container that is only 11 to 12 inches wide will not be wide enough for the entire growing season.
Amend Soil - Add fertile compost and ensure the soil is loose and well-draining.
Planting Depth - Make a shallow, wide divot in your soil. It should only be about 1 ½” deep.
Fertilize - Then, apply fertilizer. Follow the directions on your fertilizer for a heavy feeding plant. I use about 3 Tablespoons of Trifecta+ mixed into the soil of the divot.
Plant Ginger - Lay the ginger in the divot flat on its side with the sprouts or growth points facing up.
Cover With Soil - Cover the ginger with about an inch of soil.
Watering - Water the soil thoroughly after planting to help settle it in. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Ginger doesn't like to be flooded.
How to Grow Ginger
Ginger is a heavy feeder, and fertilizing is critical for good root development. We use Trifecta+ with amazing results, but any all-purpose fertilizer will work. Just remember that whatever you use should be high in nitrogen to support leaf growth rather than high in phosphorus.
Each different stock of growth will put out new ginger roots. You need the leafy growth above to generate the energy to form roots below. That’s why fertilizing with high nitrogen is the secret to getting lots of ginger!
Watering is the next most important aspect of successfully growing ginger. It likes more water, so I typically water ginger about twice a week if it's in containers and at least once a week if it's in a raised bed outside.
Harvesting
You can harvest ginger at any age and any size. However, the more time you have it in the soil, the bigger the roots are going to be.
When it comes time to harvest, you can dig up the entire plant if you want to, but you can also just dig around, find some roots, break off what you need, and leave the rest to grow. Ginger "crawls" under the soil, so the older parts of the plant will remain, while new "fingers" of the ginger sprout new growth. This keeps the cycle going for as long as you keep the plant healthy!
If you want to replant fresh ginger, let it sit on the counter for 3 or 4 weeks to get a leathery skin. Once it cures and gets that leathery skin, its ready to be planted again.
