Ginger is an Asian root plant. Most commonly, ginger is ground up and used as a spice. You can use ginger in a variety of dishes and for medicinal purposes. Popular uses for ginger include tea, pies and Asian cuisine. Although ginger can be obtained at most grocery stores, you can also grow your own.
Keep reading to see three ways to grow this plant from the comfort of your own home.
1. Presprout
The most important part of starting ginger is that you’ll need to prep the seed for about six weeks before it will grow properly. Choose an organic piece of ginger from the store for planting (treatments from chemicals prevent non-organic from sprouting).
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Place the piece in a small container with drainage holes in the bottom. Put a small amount of soil in the bottom of the container and add about a half inch of soil above the seed. Add plenty of water and cover. Soil temperature should be around 70 degrees for the next six to eight weeks. Once the sprout appears, you can plant it in a larger container.
2. Container Planting
If you opt to grow ginger in a pot, you’ll need a wide, shallow container. The roots of the plant can outgrow a 2-gallon pot in just six months. When planting teh sprout, cover it with about four inches of soil and water it well as ginger loves water. Keep the plant in a warm window with a fair amount of sunlight. You can place the pot outdoors, but keep it sheltered and away from extreme (below 60 or above 90) temperatures. Heavy winds can also damage the plant.
To harvest ginger, you can snap off a chunk and place the rest back in the pot with more soil, according to Good Housekeeping.
3. Planting outdoors
If you want to grow ginger outdoors, you’ll need to start it in a pot indoors during the colder months. You can then transplant the root plant outside for the spring and summer. Soil temperatures should fall between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit for the warmer seasons. When planting outside, choose a spot with partial shade and keep ginger away from trees. Plant the ginger, eyes up, and cover with an inch of soil. Make sure plants are at least 15 inches apart.Water them regularly. Although ginger is a water-loving plant, overdoing it can cause disease, so be careful.
If you opt to leave ginger outside during the winter, make sure to add mulch. This will protect the roots from the freezing temperatures, according to SF Gate.