How to Grow Ginger

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Asian cooks prize ginger not only for its tasty, bulbous roots, but also for its young, grasslike stems. Unless you live in the hottest part of the United States (USDA zone 10), you'll have to grow this tender herb in a pot and bring it indoors in cold weather.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Bypass Pruners
Compost Makers
Fertilizers
Garden Spades
Garden Trowels
Planting Containers
Potting Soil
Ginger Roots

Growing Ginger in a Container

Step 1

Buy fresh ginger roots at a grocery store or an Asian market. Look for fat tubers with numerous buds.
Step 2

Plant ginger in spring when you can supply warm enough temperatures, whether indoors or out. The dormant tubers will sprout only when the mercury hits 75 to 85 degrees F.
Step 3

Use a container that's about 14 inches across and 12 inches deep and has excellent drainage. This size will hold three average-size tubers comfortably.
Step 4

Fill the container with potting soil enriched with plenty of compost.
Step 5

Soak the tubers in warm water overnight, then set them in the pot just below the soil surface, spacing them evenly, with the buds facing up.
Step 6

Set the container in light shade, indoors or out, depending on the temperature.
Step 7

Water lightly at first, then more heavily when growth starts. Keep plants dry in winter, when they're dormant.
Step 8

Move plants outside only when the temperatures have reached 50 degrees F. In cooler weather, growth can be stunted.
Step 9

Shield plants from high winds, and move them indoors at the first sign of cool temperatures.
Step 10

Expect plants to reach maturity, and a height of 2 to 4 feet, in 10 months to a year.
Step 11

Dig up new, young sprouts that appear in front of the main plants (they form their own tubers), use what you need, and freeze or replant the rest.
Step 12

Clip young, tender stems anytime.

Growing Ginger Outdoors in USDA Zone 10

Step 1

Buy fresh ginger roots at a grocery store or an Asian market. Look for fat tubers with numerous buds.
Step 2

Choose a lightly shaded site with rich, moist but well-drained soil. Work in plenty of compost to ensure the right combination.
Step 3

Plant ginger in spring when temperatures are 75 to 85 degrees F. Soak the tubers in warm water overnight, then set them just under the soil surface with the buds facing up.
Step 4

Water lightly at first, then more heavily when growth starts.
Step 5

Shield plants from high winds, and cover them if temperatures dip lower than normal.
Step 6

Expect plants to reach maturity, and a height of 2 to 4 feet, in 10 months to a year.
Step 7

Dig up new, young sprouts that appear in front of the main plants (they form their own tubers), use what you need, and freeze or replant the rest.
Step 8

Clip young, tender stems anytime.

Comments

peavey said

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on 6/6/2009 Thank you! I bought ginger at the store today and got curious to know if I could grow it... looks like I can!

synchronicitys said

on 3/28/2009 Helpful article, exactly what I needed to know. Thank you for sharing!

kaythegardener said

on 10/6/2008 Here in the Pacific NW, I start looking for emerging buds on fresh ginger at Asian New Year's Time (early Feb) & pot it up for a houseplant at first.
When it's warm enough to set out tomato plants, I shift it outdoors, after a week of hardening up, of course. In the Fall, I cover it with a clear plastic bag, like my late ripening tomatoes, to get a couple of weeks' more growth. When nighttime temps get below 45 degrees, then I bring it indoors as a houseplant & check for harvest size, by scratching in the dirt, like seeking potatoes...
Kaythegardener

Sue-Z said

on 7/21/2008 A ginger root I bought has sprouts sticking out - I wondered if I could grow my own ginger in my greenhouse - thanks to your tips, I'll give it a try!