Is anyone growing ginger?

[ChanellG]

I recently planted a piece of ginger which was already showing signs of developing roots when I found it in the supermarket. How soon should I expect to see signs of leaves if it decides to grow?

I'd say very soon. It was a while ago that I had the one the "sprouted," but that shoot is sort of a baby leaf, if that makes any sense. It almost looks like bamboo when it starts growing. How deeply did you plant it? Is it in an area where it can get a lot of sun?

 

[ChanellG]

On the subject of ginger I have a couple of questions. Is it possible to grow ginger successfully in North America? When should you dig it up, and how do you know its ready to be harvested?

Well, yeah. I'm in North America. There are different varieties of ginger and all plants have a learning curve when you try them for the first time. Just experiment and see what you get. You could also try asking around locally to see what other people are doing.

 

[Gina145]

I'd say very soon. It was a while ago that I had the one the "sprouted," but that shoot is sort of a baby leaf, if that makes any sense. It almost looks like bamboo when it starts growing. How deeply did you plant it? Is it in an area where it can get a lot of sun?

There's probably about a centimetre of soil covering it. It's inside my greenhouse so it gets filtered sunlight for a few hours. I can't give it more time in the sun as my yard is quite small with walls on all sides and my garden isn't secure enough to leave potted plants standing around, but I could move it out of the greenhouse if it needs stronger sun.

 

[ChanellG]

There's probably about a centimetre of soil covering it. It's inside my greenhouse so it gets filtered sunlight for a few hours. I can't give it more time in the sun as my yard is quite small with walls on all sides and my garden isn't secure enough to leave potted plants standing around, but I could move it out of the greenhouse if it needs stronger sun.

I'd say just keep an eye on it. It's not buried deep, so you'll be able to see right away if it's growing or not. I'm not sure what the minimum is, but as long as it gets 4-6 hours of daylight, it shouldn't necessarily need it all to be in direct sunlight. My white flowering gingers have lived mostly in full sun and they sometimes suffer when it gets hot, so maybe part shade is okay.

 

[Mockingbird]

I just saw an article online about how easy it is to grow ginger and since I use it often for cooking I will have to give it a try. I have to say the plant looked a bit strange, like an alien plant from a different planet strange But it sounds like they are pretty easy to grow. probably taste better then the semi dried ones at the store.

 

[ChanellG]

I just saw an article online about how easy it is to grow ginger and since I use it often for cooking I will have to give it a try. I have to say the plant looked a bit strange, like an alien plant from a different planet strange But it sounds like they are pretty easy to grow. probably taste better then the semi dried ones at the store.

Well, the ones at the store are cured, just like the garlic, onions and potatoes. They are supposed to look that way, as long as they are firm and not at all withered. It takes almost a year to be able to harvest ginger, so at home you would dig it up and separate the rhizomes, set some aside for replanting, freeze some, and properly store the rest.

Other wise you would be constantly digging up the plant to get more "root." Also, like bulbs, the rhizomes don't last forever in the soil.

 

[Rzashida]

I love the smell of the leaves. Do you do something with them like make potpourri?
I also started my ginger plant just from a knob of ginger from the grocery store.

That is the same way I start mines. I don't have a clue how to capture that aroma. I wish I did. They would make an excellent potpourri.

 

[ChanellG]

I found a photo of my sprouted ginger that grew for a while on the windowsill and then gave out when I transplanted it outdoors. Still not sure if I waited too long or it didn't get the right amount of water or what.

@Gina145 this is what you have to look forward to!

 

[Gina145]

I found a photo of my sprouted ginger that grew for a while on the windowsill and then gave out when I transplanted it outdoors. Still not sure if I waited too long or it didn't get the right amount of water or what.

@Gina145 this is what you have to look forward to!

Thanks Chanell. There's no sign of any growth on mine yet. I hope it's going to work.

 

[Rzashida]

@ChanellG you have to tear the leave open to smell it. It's not so pungent that you smell it just because you walk pass it. By the way , nice picture of the ginger.

 

[ChanellG]

@ChanellG you have to tear the leave open to smell it. It's not so pungent that you smell it just because you walk pass it. By the way , nice picture of the ginger.

Thanks, I wish it had lived. I'd have had a couple of harvests by now. Maybe I'll try again in the spring. I always say I am going to hold some back to root, but I always end up cooking it, and it's not that cheap at the market. Right now I'm getting ready to plant potatoes - that experiment worked, lol.

 

[globulon]

I'd love to grow ginger, as it's something you really don't need a lot of per use! I'm a fan of the taste but always forget to buy it in the stores. If the plant as beautiful and fragrant as I'm hearing in this thread, I'll have to add it to the list!

 

[ChanellG]

I'd love to grow ginger, as it's something you really don't need a lot of per use! I'm a fan of the taste but always forget to buy it in the stores. If the plant as beautiful and fragrant as I'm hearing in this thread, I'll have to add it to the list!

I often forget to buy it as well, It's not something I use every day and it's a little costly so I have to be sure I will use all of it if I do buy it. I would like to have it growing so I can just harvest what I need when I need it. It takes a while to grow enough rhizomes to have a decent harvest though.

 

[Gina145]

I'd say just keep an eye on it. It's not buried deep, so you'll be able to see right away if it's growing or not. I'm not sure what the minimum is, but as long as it gets 4-6 hours of daylight, it shouldn't necessarily need it all to be in direct sunlight. My white flowering gingers have lived mostly in full sun and they sometimes suffer when it gets hot, so maybe part shade is okay.

It's been about a month now and there are still no signs of any leaves growing out of it. Although there was about a centimetre of soil over it when I planted it, the ginger has now come up to the surface, so I'm not sure if it's growing underground and has got pushed up. All I know it that when I've tried touching it, it still seems fairly firm. I'm not sure if I should give up or give it time to see what happens.

I've had similar things happen to me when growing seeds in the past. A couple of years ago I planted a few macadamia nuts. Some produced seedlings quite quickly while others didn't. When I emptied the pots of the two that hadn't sprouted above ground, I discovered that both had roots. With some gentle persuasion, one produced a shoot and some leaves, but the other eventually died.

 

[ChanellG]

It's been about a month now and there are still no signs of any leaves... I'm not sure if I should give up or give it time to see what happens.

I've had similar things happen to me when growing seeds in the past... I discovered that both had roots. With some gentle persuasion, one produced a shoot and some leaves, but the other eventually died.

How's the weather? Is it warm where you are right now? How moist is the soil? Have you tried any of that gentle persuasion with it? Did you do anything with the ginger before you planted it? Some people recommend soaking them. The root isn't a seed, but before giving up I would try moistening the soil with aspirin water.