How to grow Ginger

Where to plant

Plant ginger in a well-drained spot with part shade, not under trees, whose roots compete and get in the way of digging. In Florida, UF/IFAS advises 25 to 40% shade through summer, particularly while plants establish, but notes that heavy shade gives lush leaves and small rhizomes.

Ginger grows best between about 70 and 85°F. Cool weather and short days send it toward dormancy, and frost kills the tops. Ginger is very prone to rot in waterlogged soil, so drainage is essential; raised beds work well.

• Florida and Hawaii: plant in spring, from March in South Florida to May in North Florida. South Florida and Hawaii have the longest seasons.
• The Gulf South, Texas and California: plant once frost has passed and the soil is warm, in part shade, and dig before hard frost or mulch heavily in mild areas.
• The Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and Southern Plains: plant in May or June, ideally sprouted pieces, in a pot or a warm bed, and dig before the first frost.
• The North, the Mountain West and Alaska: grow it in a large pot or grow bag, started indoors, and move it inside before cold nights. Illinois growers use high tunnels and grow bags to lengthen the season.

How to plant

1. Buy firm, plump rhizomes with visible buds, ideally from a specialist seed supplier. Grocery rhizomes can work but carry more risk of disease. Avoid any that are soft or moldy.
2. Cut large pieces into sections, each with at least one bud, using a clean knife, and let the cut ends dry before planting.
3. For a longer season, pre-sprout the pieces in late winter on top of moist potting mix in a warm spot around 80°F. Sprouting can take one to two months. Plant out once shoots appear and the soil is warm.
4. Plant about 2 inches (5 cm) deep, 6 to 18 inches apart. Closer spacing gives more but smaller rhizomes that are harder to separate.
5. In containers, plant one or two pieces in a 5-gallon pot or grow bag, or three in a 10 to 15-gallon one, in good potting mix with compost.

Watering and feeding

Keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy. In a Florida summer, established plants often need rain or watering daily. Curling leaves are the first sign of thirst, followed by browned tips. Overwatering is just as harmful, because it encourages rhizome rot.

Ginger is a moderate to heavy feeder. Mix compost into the planting bed and add a slow-release or organic fertilizer at planting, with one or two more feeds during summer. Do not feed while plants are dormant in winter.

Harvesting

Dig tender, mild baby ginger about five months after planting, in fall. For mature, stronger ginger, wait until about seven months or until the leaves yellow and die back as days shorten. You can also dig a few pieces from the edge of a clump and leave the rest growing.

Lift carefully with a fork, wash off the soil and trim the stems and roots. Fresh rhizomes keep for a short time in the refrigerator; slices freeze well.

Growing in pots

Pots and grow bags are the easiest way to grow ginger outside the warmest areas. Use a wide container with drainage holes, since rhizomes spread sideways, and fresh potting mix with compost. Keep it in bright part shade, water often in summer, and move it somewhere frost free before cold nights. Reduce watering while it rests.

Propagation and saving seed

Save a few firm, healthy rhizomes from your harvest for replanting. UF/IFAS Extension suggests planting 2-inch sections 2 inches deep in pots in a sheltered spot over winter, then moving them to the garden in spring. Never replant rhizomes from plants that rotted.