Ginger Root

Farmer Dave · #1 01/24/12, 01:39 PM

I buy fresh ginger root in the produce dept. at the grocery. I slice several very thin pieces off of the root and brew it with black or green tea. I like the taste. Anyway...my question is could I grow a plant from the root that I bought so I could harvest my own ginger roots? Have any of you done this?

wildolive · #2 01/24/12, 01:50 PM

I've done the same thing with ginger root that I've purchased at the store and then have thrown pieces (dried out) into my compost pile - the next spring I loaded up my raised beds with the compost and to my surprise I had ginger growing!!! ...lots of it! :-)

MichaelK! · #3 01/24/12, 03:47 PM

Plant it in a high, well drained spot. It will sprout and grow, but does NOT like to be in cool, soaking-wet soil.

JuliaAnn · #4 01/24/12, 05:59 PM

And don't plant it deep. Lay the root in a pot and put about 1 to 2" of soil over it. They will rot if planted too deeply.

I have a large pot of ginger and one of cardamom on the back porch. Drag them in every winter and they're fine.

chickenista · #5 01/24/12, 10:48 PM

Yep... I grow it.
Pick a fat, moist root from the store, not a dried out one and do as the above poster said.

And cardamom... oh boy!! I never thought of that!!

JuliaAnn · #6 01/24/12, 11:45 PM

Chickenista, cardamom will grow in the ground if your winters aren't too bad. I have a clump in the ground that has survived temps down into the upper teens, but it's in a protected spot. Freezes back to the ground but sprouts back up every year. I'll probably lose it someday but it's pretty in the meantime.

The potted cardamom is easy to divide too, makes roots that are kind of like spider plant roots. I keep my potted ginger and cardamom pots together on the porch, side by side, in the semi shade, and they like it. Got cardamom seeds or fruit or whatever they're called a few years ago but none since. They were very strong when fresh.

Farmer Dave · #7 01/25/12, 10:12 AM

Thanks for everyones input. I just bought a new root yesterday and will stick it in a pot and see what happens.

chickenista · #8 01/25/12, 01:39 PM

Oh.. I had a thought.
I remember now that I wrapped mine very loosely in a damp papertowel and placed it in a baggie on the top of my computer case where it was warm until it sprouted shoots.
I used chamomile tea to dampen the papertowel because it will not grow molds or fungus.
After the shoots appeared I put it in the pot and lightly covered over with soil.
It has been a while since I did it and it just popped back into my mind.

TheMrs · #9 01/26/12, 08:54 AM

Thank you so much for posting this! I plan on trying it next time I buy ginger. We like using ginger in cooking but it also has great medicinal uses as well. It'll be nice to not be dependent on the store for my ginger.

lonelyfarmgirl · #10 01/27/12, 06:27 PM

my mom planted some in sand and it did well for quite a while, then she killed it on accident. I tried growing some and well, fail.

Limon · #11 01/27/12, 09:44 PM

I started one late in the summer as a houseplant, and it did beautifully until the weather got cold. I think it might have been in a draft. Whatever the reason, it died pretty quickly. I moved it to a better spot, but so far no signs of it recovering. I haven't tried digging up the root yet to see what condition it's in.

HillRunner · #12 02/05/12, 10:48 AM

What is the growth rate on Turmeric and Ginger ? How long would it take a knob/root to get to harvest size?

acde · #13 02/05/12, 10:54 AM

Farmer Dave, Thanks for asking. I have been looking for something special to do for my sister, this is it, she LOVES ginger. Thanks again

Limon · #14 02/05/12, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HillRunner

What is the growth rate on Turmeric and Ginger ? How long would it take a knob/root to get to harvest size?

Before my ginger died, it was growing at a very fast clip. I don't think it would be very long before you could harvest small amounts.

Farmer Dave · #15 02/05/12, 09:46 PM

It's been about 10 days since I planted a couple ginger root cuttings in a pot of soil and nothing is coming up yet. The pot is sitting on a heating mat for germinating seeds. Maybe I'd better put something over the pot to hold in the humidity.

Ann Mary · #16 02/11/12, 02:43 PM

So....did it ever grow for you???? I too have just planted some after reading this post...some cardamom seeds too! Have them both watered in with water & GSE ( to kill off the bacteria) and covered with plastic wrap. Have them both up high where it is warm...will see what happens!

where I want to · #17 02/12/12, 12:33 AM

It sometimes takes a long time for the roots to get started unless they already have shoots. Even then I have had the shoots die back and the roots restart.
I keep a mulch over mine and sometimes push it aside a bit to see if the roots are still fat and unwrinkled.

Randy Rooster · #18 02/12/12, 09:59 AM

I did the same thing with horse radish - bought a root at the grocery store and planted it - worked fine.