Growing ginger in zone 7

[emcas]

This is my first year growing ginger - I planted sprouted rhizomes in June and the plant has a lot of shoots.

I am reading that ginger needs a good 7-10 months, though ... so, should I bring her inside before frost and continue her development inside? I planted in a container so this would be feasible. Or, is the time frame from the moment the rhizome is started? I am just confused on timing. The shoots are all very green / not dying back yet.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Keep a watch on night temps and soil temps. It will slow before failure and that is when people begin trying to feed or nurse it when really it cannot use any of that because the the temps have stopped the processes of growth.

 

[emcas]

Keep a watch on night temps and soil temps. It will slow before failure and that is when people begin trying to feed or nurse it when really it cannot use any of that because the the temps have stopped the processes of growth.

Good to know .... so, I should bring her inside or, ?

 

[DirtMechanic]

I would think so. Your county has grow zones of 6b, 7a and 7b. Without looking the plant up I can point to Florida where it is in Zone 10. I am guessing but 60f nights might be all a tropical will bear. Well bear in a robust fashion anyway. We have plants like bromiliad that we leave out until the first freeze and even though they make it through winter in the garage they get a little rough looking.


Are growing the tricolor ginger?

 

[emcas]

I’m growing standard old ginger …. It’s a lovely and warm week but once the temps drop some I’ll be bringing her inside. I am planning to try to overwinter my peppers too so I’ll just set up some lights.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I tried to order some tri-color once but that was the covid summer and it never arrived. Cool olants both in the kitchen and out. One favorite thing I keep is the candied dried ginger. It keeps forever in a pantry and is a nice touch in this or that dish to give some pizazz.

 

[Avocado]

My wife found a small nub growing on a ginger root she bought from a grocery store, so we planted it. Now the nub that was once white has slightly changed its color to light green.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I imagine high drainage soil is required.

 

[Avocado]

I imagine high drainage soil is required.

Yes, it’s in a cactus mix soil.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I have been trying to understand the nature of the plant. One of the harder things to find out is upper temperature limits because sunlight changes by angles filtering throught the sky seasonally and by altitude. Also many tropical areas have high humidity or even steam which certainly absorbs infrared heat. I have not proven to myself that its really anything other than a tropical hillside understory plant. That it is a warmth loving, high drainage needing plant that wants a dappled shade in 90f temp summers. I would consider growing ginger myself as we can start them inside and have them outside by the end of March with no real risk of freezing until late November. Of course its a El Nino year so everything weather wise will end up different than the previous 3 years. I read that Hawaii and Fiji are main producers of US ginger. I would think a volcanic soil profile could be an improvement on a cactus mix yet similar. Flavor might be enhanced by some minerals. Sulfur certainly fits the bill in the garden for other veg. Green sands as amendments maybe? Interesting subject to me.