Growing ginger is as easy as not growing it! So, it'll be a waste to not grow it if you have the right growing condition, which is essentially warm weather. The rest is just loamy soil, water and occasional feed of fertilizer. They thrive in partial shade or full sun. Basically, the same concept applies with growing turmeric.
I started out by planting about 5 or 6 small knobs of ginger (about an inch in size) with at least 1 visible 'eye' on it. An 'eye' is the part where a sprout is going to grow. Plant each knob half an inch deep in the soil and about 6 to 8 inches apart. Make sure the 'eye' is upwards so that the sprout can easily grow out of the soil. From my experience, it'll take about 2-3 weeks for the sprout to grow. Or could be slightly shorter or longer. During this stage, keep the soil moist but not water-logged. Ginger plant grows slowly but steadily. The leaves are quite ornamental and very fragrant. As the plant grows, you can lightly feed with chicken manure, but not too often. Once the plant is established, it can even withstand temporary drought in case you forgot to water. As the rhizomes grow and multiply, they will appear slightly on the surface of the soil. And the anticipation in wondering what lies beneath begins!
Below is my container of ginger after about a year of planting. Ginger can be harvested after about 8 months but I delayed and just left them in there.
I dug out half the amount of ginger rhizomes in the container on 9 March and below pictures show the harvest - before and after washing. My container was so compact as it was full of ginger.
Below is the pot with leftover plants on the right.
Today, I harvested the rest of the ginger.
And I replanted a few small rhizomes with the sprouts which I separated from larger rhizomes. But before that, the leftover clumps of roots in the soil need to be removed so that they will not hinder future growth. I just need to add a little bit more soil and the growing starts again.
One might think what did I do with so much ginger? Well, I gave some to my sisters and kept some for my own cooking. Many Asian food uses ginger and I read that leftover ginger can be frozen for longer usage. I'm so happy with my ginger harvest. Hoorah!!
Woohooo! Steaming fish tonight with lots of ginger! My favourite!
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me to plant my own ginger!
ReplyDeleteLucky Joyce to have some of that share :). Nice harvest. We don't have suitable temperature for them. Not enough warm season. Warm season also too dry for them too flourish.
ReplyDeleteI planted ginger in a pot hopefully it will be as productive like yours. when frost comes I have to move them inside our house. I am so excited! This is my first time to plant ginger.
ReplyDeleteWow..I have planted mine also in containers...I hope to be successful as yours.
ReplyDeleteMine are growing too but I heard that the leaves would start drying off when it's the time to pull the ginger out. But for me new shoots keep on coming. I am apprehensive as what is going on below. Have I missed the harvest?
ReplyDeleteIf you have excess ginger, cut it into slices, dry it out in the sun for few days and store in air tight container. Grind some part of it and use. It stays good for almost a year.I have been doing it for some years buying it when prices are cheap, in winter in India
Hi Rajesh, yes it's the same with my plant, new shoots will emerge as additional ginger roots start to develop inside the soil. Sometimes when I want to just just a little bit of ginger, I will use a cutter to dig and cut some out, leaving the rest inside. Thanks for sharing.
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