How To Grow Ginger
Cultivated in tropical areas of Zone 9, common ginger (Zingiber officinale) plants have bamboolike deciduous leaves that grow on slender stems about four feet tall.
Ginger needs rich soil with good drainage, warm temperatures, high humidity, and bright-not direct-sunlight.
In tropical regions, ginger is generally planted in early spring and harvested in late fall. In cold-winter areas, ginger must be grown indoors; potted plants, however, rarely bloom.
How to Grow Ginger Indoors
Temperamental but easily propagated, ginger can be started from a small piece of a plump, fresh rhizome with at least one eye or bud (similar to eyes on potatoes).
In a small pot filled with moist professional-quality potting mix. Plant gingerroot on its side or place root lengthwise parallel to the soil surface, just below the surface, barely covering it.
(Rhizomes tend to rot in poorly drained soil.) Keep the pot in a hot place (75’F or warmer-the outside tops of refrigerators are often ideal) until green stalks emerge from the eyes.
Transplant ginger, placing it two inches deep in a large pot at least 12 inches in diameter filled with equal amounts of loam, sand. And peat moss or compost.
Fertilize and water regularly during the growing season.
Apply a fertilizer that contains extra potassium. Keep ginger outdoors during the summer in a partially shaded location: move indoors in fall before the first frost.
In about five months, ginger can be harvested as young, or stem, ginger with thin skin, pale pinkish tips, and green stems.
After eight to 10 months, when the leaves and stems die naturally, ginger is mature. To harvest, dig up the rhizome and shake off the soil.
Cut off the stems if present and remove the fibrous roots. Rinse the roots and dry well—Air dry for a day or two.
Fresh ginger can be stored for several months at 55 deg F and 65-percent humidity.
Be sure to save a few pieces of ginger with eyes to replant.
Or to overwinter ginger plant, let the tops die and water the plants only occasionally, keeping them on the dry side.
